On Tuesday, hundreds protested in locked-down Melbourne after authorities closed construction sites in the city for fourteen days, saying the everyday movement of employees was spreading the fatal coronavirus into regional areas. The city is bracing for more chaos today, with anti-lock down demonstrators intending to hold another ‘freedom rally’ outside the Australian main trade union CFMEU headquarter in the CBD.

Australian authorities have closed construction sites in Melbourne for fourteen weeks after anti-jab demonstrations in the city turned violent and COVID cases in New South Wales and Victoria surged. The tensity comes as the state reports one COVID-19-related fatality and 603 new cases on Tuesday, Victoria’s worst daily COVID-19 infection toll in over a year.

Reported yesterday: 603 new local cases and 0 cases acquired overseas.
– 40,811 vaccines administered
– 48,829 test results received
– Sadly, 1 person with COVID-19 has died

More later: https://t.co/OCCFTAtS1P#COVID19Vic #COVID19VicData pic.twitter.com/SFzVIY0S4K

— VicGovDH (@VicGovDH) September 20, 2021

Melbourne’s $16 Bn dollars (A$22 Bn) construction industry has been closed for fourteen days after Monday’s demonstration against mandatory immunizations for construction employees, which descended into a chaotic fight.

The shutdown takes effect from 21st September and follows clashes in which a crate and bottles were thrown at union authorities. Moreover, protestors threw projectiles at the Construction, Forestry, Maritime, Mining, and Energy Union building, damaging it, and riot law enforcement was sent, firing rubber baton rounds into the crowd.

NSW Health Minister Praised State’s High Immunization Rate

The Victorian government required all construction employees to have at least one dose of COVID-19 jab by Friday.

Tim Pallas, state’s Minister for Internal Relations, said Monday night that they put the industry on notice only a week before, they’ve seen appalling behavior on site and on their streets, and now they’re acting conclusively and without reluctance.

Victoria law enforcement stated many people had been detained in the unrest. The forced shutdown of construction sites would worsen the nation’s economic activity, with some economists foretelling the protracted lock-downs might push Oceanic Australia’s ‘$1.45T dollars economy’ into the second slump in years.

The Commonwealth of Australia has shut its largest cities Melbourne and Sydney, and capital Canberra to quell to get rid of an outbreak of the more transmissible Delta variant. But the stringent restrictions have triggered anti-lock down rallies, with law enforcement arresting hundreds over the weekend.

Furthermore, according to the Sydney Morning Herald, in New South Wales in Byron, Tweed, and Kempsey were ordered to turn into lock-down on Tuesday, after 1022 infections and ten fatalities were reported.

Brad Hazard, NSW Health Minister, commended the community for its high immunization rates, with over 82 percent of the state now getting the first shot and 53 percent of people above sixteen years are fully protected against COVID.

Moreover, there’re 1266 citizens hospitalized and 244 are in Intensive Care Unit. Of those, one hundred and eighteen are on ventilators. 181 out of 244 ICU patients haven’t inoculated, and fifty-four got one dose and nine are fully vaccinated.