JULY 7, 2020. Five million Melburnians were told to stay at home for six weeks.

Yes, barred from leaving home, except for essential reasons. This followed a surge of Covid-19 cases.

Melburnians are residents of Australia’s second-largest city, Melbourne, which is also the capital of the State of Victoria.

The state’s premier Daniel Andrews announced the lockdown after the state saw 191 new cases.

The lockdown – the state’s second – meant that the people were only able to leave their homes for work, medical treatment, school, exercise and shopping for food and other necessities.

A day earlier on July 6, Andrews and his New South Wales (NSW) counterpart Gladys Berejiklian announced the closure of the Victoria-NSW border for the first time in a decade.

The first lockdown restrictions had eased for over a month then. It was generally observed that people had become less vigilant as they reconnected with friends and family, and went out eating at restaurants. Social distancing, too, became less observed as limits on the number allowed in group meets and gatherings were expanded.

It was no surprise that local transmissions were then a key source of infections. A breach in hotel quarantine by returning travellers only added to the surge. Accordingly, the state premier explained that any other alternatives to a lockdown was “just too dangerous”.

“We’re on the cusp of something very, very bad if we don’t take these steps,” he had said.

So Melburnians endured a heavily policed lockdown, which included a night-time curfew, a one-hour limit on outdoor exercise, and a ban on travelling more than 5km from their home. 

When the restrictions were lifted – 111 days later, the initial six weeks having been extended in September – Melburnians had endured one of the world’s longest and toughest lockdowns.

But the outcome was extraordinary, to say the least. On October 26, Melbourne reported no new daily cases for the first time since June. This was in stark contrast to the peak of 725 new cases on August 5, with dozens of deaths.

What’s the secret to Melbourne’s success?

Four “critical pillars” have been identified: border closure, testing, contact tracing and a compliant community that has embraced the health protocols: observing the 3Ws, avoiding the 3Cs. 

Ask now: Are we a compliant community?

It may be harder the second time around and as such, we are not limiting our movement as much as during MCO 1.0. But with MCO 2.0 already into its second week, we should have adjusted to it, limiting our movement further and be compliant with the SOP.

Now, it is also said that there is actually no secret to Melbourne’s success. It just takes a clear goal and the commitment to achieve that goal.

Melbourne’s lockdown measures may be the toughest, but not novel in terms of containment strategy. As such, we can succeed like Melburnians.

So, too, the government. But it will not help if the government does flip-flop on their measures – like allowing ceremonial procession that commemorates the start of Thaipusam after initially forbidding chariot processions and other related events except for milk Kavadi under strict SOP.

To succeed like Melburnians and Melbourne, we need a compliant community and a steadfast government – “istiqamah” is the word.

A strict lockdown like Melbourne – or as rumoured – won’t be necessary. – January 25, 2021.

* Hafiz Hassan reads The Malaysian Insight.

* This is the opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of The Malaysian Insight. Article may be edited for brevity and clarity.