Australia’s second-largest city emerged from one of the world’s longest and most severe lockdowns Wednesday, as if from hibernation, feeling both traumatized and euphoric after weeks of shared sacrifice that brought a deadly second wave of the COVID-19 virus to heel.
It took 111 days, but Melbourne and the surrounding state of Victoria recorded no new infections Monday, and Wednesday thousands of stores, cafes, restaurants and beauty salons opened their doors for the first time in months.
"That is an achievement that every single Victorian should be proud of,” said the state’s top official, Daniel Andrews.