Chance matters. It’s unlikely Victoria is doing anything that ‘makes us’ more likely to have outbreaks leading to lockdowns.
Articles on Melbourne
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People are not more likely now to get infected by brushing past someone on the street. We’re just better at finding links between cases.
A new book of photographs is a reminder of a slower and simpler way of living — before chain stores, throwaway clothing and online retail.
The revamped Victorian hotel quarantine system appears to have addressed the weaknesses of the previous system, particularly around the risk of airborne transmission.
We need to rigorously analyse data from recent lockdowns, so we can respond better to future outbreaks.
During the current COVID outbreak in Melbourne, the state government has been listing exposure sites as tier 1, tier 2, or tier 3. So what’s the difference between each level, and why does it matter?
Another lockdown in Victoria comes at a considerable cost. However, it’s important to see the distinction between this short, sharp lockdown and the one that lasted several months last year.
If there are inevitably going to be leaks from quarantine, wouldn’t it be better to have it in an isolated location so it can’t spread further?
Nobody likes a whinger. But when you’re used to having an entourage, and being feted around the world, things can get tough when you don’t get your own way.
The pervasive impacts of infrastructure projects on public health are often overlooked. New research is teasing out the many ways Melbourne’s level-crossing removals will affect people’s health.
Victoria has achieved a remarkable thing. But the virus has not been eradicated. The question then becomes, how well can the state deal with new outbreaks?
Ideally, I’d wait until there’s zero community transmission before reopening borders. But I think the risk of a substantial outbreak is low.
Alice Pung’s family escaped Pol Pot to settle in Australia. In suburban Melbourne, as her mum worked in the dark, back shed, she discovered books — and what the world could be.
There is cause for optimism. But now the pendulum swings towards individuals taking responsibility for managing risks, rather than government telling you what you can and can’t do.
How does Victoria’s response to a second COVID-19 wave compare internationally? Very favourably - only a handful of other jurisdictions have enjoyed anything like the same level of effectiveness.
A previous version of Melbourne’s COVID roadmap flagged an exclusive bubble between two households. The new plan allows residents to have two adult visitors per day, which is far riskier.
Melbourne could be out of lockdown within a week, if COVID-19 case numbers continue their current trend. But blanket rules such as the new 25km travel radius risk unnecessarily burdening the public.
Some hard lessons have been learned along the way but the contact tracing system in Victoria is now very comprehensive and increasingly robust.
We’re likely to see clusters of cases pop up and outbreaks that are hard to stamp out. But we can’t stay in lockdown forever. We have other options.
As the federal government finalises next week’s budget, with large red numbers into the future, Morrison, Frydenberg and Hunt applied the blow torch to the premier.
Top contributors
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Research associate, The University of Melbourne
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Professor, Director of Research, Nursing and Midwifery, Monash University
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Senior Research Fellow, Healthy Liveable Cities Group, Centre for Urban Research, RMIT University
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Professor of Biostatistics and Epidemiology, Adelaide University
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Professor of Urban Planning, The University of Melbourne
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Professor, Director Australian Urban Observatory, Centre for Urban Research, RMIT University
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Associate Principal Research Fellow, Burnet Institute
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Senior Lecturer in Urbanism, University of Sydney
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Housing Policy Researcher, Expert Advisor, Housing Assessment Resource Tools and Adjunct Professor, L’Université d’Ottawa/University of Ottawa
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Chair in Epidemiology, Deakin University
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Adjunct professor, School of Media and Communications, RMIT University
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Associate Professor in Food Systems, The University of Melbourne
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Senior Lecturer in Journalism, Monash University
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Professor of Nursing and Health Services Research, University of Newcastle
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Professor of International Planning, Centre for Urban Research, RMIT University