Sydney, Sept 23 (BNA): Police in Melbourne braced for a fourth day of anti-lockdown protests on Thursday and the city’s vaccination center was closed after protesters mistreated staff, while cases of COVID-19 across Victoria hit the daily record.
Hundreds of protesters have taken to the streets in the city of 5 million since officials earlier this week ordered construction sites closed for two weeks and made vaccinations mandatory for construction workers to curb the spread of the virus.
The Melbourne Town Hall Vaccination Center said on Thursday it would be closed until Monday, after many of its employees were physically and verbally abused on the way to work.
“Why do you offend, I was told, why do you spit on people who do this kind of work?” Prime Minister Daniel Andrews said at a media briefing in Melbourne, the state capital. “This is ugly, unwarranted,” according to Reuters.
Footage on social media showed police officers in central Melbourne, Thursday, checking reasons for people being outside, as authorities try to prevent another protest in Australia’s second-largest city after more than 200 arrests on Wednesday.
Police used pepper spray and rubber bullets on Wednesday to disperse protesters who had gathered at a memorial to honor war service, prompting widespread criticism of the shrine’s use as a rallying point.
“I have offended the honor of those Australians who made the utmost sacrifices and I hope any and everyone involved in this disgraceful behavior will be ashamed,” Prime Minister Scott Morrison told reporters in Washington, D.C. on Thursday.
Police and union officials said extremist and far-right groups joined the demonstrations.
As authorities prepare for more protests, Victoria reported 766 new locally acquired cases, surpassing the previous daily epidemic high of 725 infections on August 5, 2020, and four new deaths. The neighboring state of New South Wales recorded 1,063 new infections, up from 1,035 the day before, and six new deaths.
Australia is battling a third wave of infections from a delta-type outbreak in its two largest cities, Sydney and Melbourne, and its capital Canberra, forcing nearly half of the country’s 25 million people into strict restrictions to stay at home.
Officials promised to relax lockdown rules once 70% of adults are fully vaccinated, which is expected next month. About 55.5% of people aged 16 or over receive full immunizations in NSW and around 45% in Victoria.
Total infections in Australia have exceeded 92,000, with around 61,000 recorded since mid-June when the first delta case was detected in Sydney. The death total is just under 1,200, but still lower than many other similar countries.
HF