The Lockdown That Felt Like It Might Last Forever Has Finally Ended - The New York Times

Melbourne, Australia’s second-largest city, emerged from its 111-day hibernation with a mix of euphoria and caution.

MELBOURNE, Australia — As if from hibernation, Australia’s second-largest city emerged from one of the world’s longest and most severe lockdowns on Wednesday, feeling both traumatized and euphoric after weeks of shared sacrifice that brought a deadly second wave of the coronavirus to heel.

It took 111 days, but Melbourne and the surrounding state of Victoria recorded no new infections on Monday, and on Wednesday thousands of stores, cafes, restaurants and beauty salons opened their doors for the first time in months.

The collective exit for a city of five million came suddenly and none too soon — Mr.

People could not travel more than three miles from home without a permit.

The hard-won success has allowed people in Melbourne to re-enter their city, Australia’s capital of coffee and culture, even if they are unsure how tense or loose to be.

The situation in Europe, where countries like France and Britain are recording tens of thousands of new cases a day, helped people in Victoria maintain their patience through the lockdown.

“The people have to be convinced,” he said.

“I think it’s hard to think of another community anywhere else — I think internationally as well — that’s been so stoically accepting of the very strict restrictions they faced,” said Paul Strangio, a professor of politics at Monash University in Melbourne.

All over Melbourne on Wednesday, people crawled out of their homes to seek a version of the lives they had put on hold.

Asked how he felt, he said: “Tired.” It had been a while since he’d stayed up so late.

Wednesday was the first time they had all been back together since the lockdown began.

For some, just the act of going into the city felt empowering, and the revived bonds worth appreciating were the loosest ones of all

Nikki Fisher, stepping out of a department store, said that even just the noise of construction filled her with energy

“How could you not have a chat to your hairdresser?” she said