Police in the Australian state of Victoria have arrested 74 people and fined 176 for violating public health orders as protests against a week-long Coronavirus lockdown continue across Melbourne.
Television footage showed protesters marching through fruit and
vegetable stalls at the city's historic Queen Victoria Market before a scuffle
broke out with protesters.
Victoria Police said in a statement, that between 200 and 250
people were involved in the protests, but that no one was immediately injured.
"People are not only protesting but also endangering the
lives of other Victorians, which is very disappointing," police said in an
emailed statement.
The demonstration came after 14 people were arrested’ in
small-scale rallies on Saturday, and as Victoria prepares to ease its lockdown
ban until Monday, the daily corona virus in the country's hotspots The number
of new cases is steadily declining.
On Sunday, 41 new cases of the corona virus were reported’ and
seven more deaths occurred, with a steady decline from the peak of more than
700 cases in a single day in early August.
Victoria accounts for 75% of the more than 26,600 COVID-19
deaths in Australia and more than 90% of the country's 810 deaths. The state
capital, Melbourne, has been locked up’ for six weeks.
The city will remain under tight security, but people will only
spend time outside, which can be doubled’ daily, and the curfew will be
shortened to one night by Monday night.
Victorian Prime Minister Daniel Andrews said in a televised
briefing on Sunday: "These are small steps, but they are safe. It's too
much. "
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