Australia’s second lockdown in the city of Melbourne seems to be failing to slow the coronavirus’ spread, a sign that governments are running out of options to contain the pathogen as it reemerges across the globe.
Three weeks after the population of 5 million was put under lockdown again in response to a fierce flareup, the infection curve in Victoria state, which Melbourne is the capital of, hasn’t flattened. Instead, cases have surged, with a record 723 new infections on Thursday and a further 627 on Friday, raising fears the virus will spread nationwide.
The lockdown’s lack of results is confirming suspicions that strict social distancing measures — which helped contain first waves across Asia and Europe earlier this year — are becoming increasingly ineffective as the pandemic heads into its eighth month and populations become weary of the disruption.