Victoria has finally downed one of the bluntest and most controversial public health tools used during the pandemic.
As of today, the lockdown has lifted from Melbourne, and along with it, the curfew.
There are hopes the measures will not be needed again any time soon in a highly vaccinated population.
With the eased restrictions come a raft of returned freedoms, including dine-in hospitality, more outdoor activities and limited household visits.
Counts of days spent under lockdown vary, but most find Melburnians have now spent the longest period under COVID-19 lockdown as any city in the world.
But while the usefulness of lockdown in curbing movement and preventing a catastrophic overwhelming of health systems has been broadly accepted, the curfew has remained a controversial measure.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-10-21/victoria-melbourne-covid-lockdown-curfew-ends/100549690
