Thousands Of Public Housing Tenants In Melbourne Have Been Placed Under Immediate Hard Lockdown

Premier Daniel Andrews yesterday announced the immediate hard lockdown of nine public housing towers in Melbourne. 

After a reported 23 confirmed cases of Covid-19, 9 public housing towers in Melbourne hotspot suburbs have gone into immediate lockdown, with 3000 residents unable to leave for any reason for at least 5 days. Andrews announced the lockdown at the same time as announcing that two new postcodes in the area would be placed under stage-3 restrictions. People in those postcodes will be able to leave their residences to work, study, exercise and shop – residents in the towers will not.

So if you live in a house or an apartment in those suburbs you can leave for 4 reasons. But if you live in the 9 high-rise public housing you will be locked in, with armed guards and not allowed to leave? Sounds like a prison to me. #COVID19au #melbournelockdown #BlackLivesMatter

— crystal mckinnon (@crystalam) July 4, 2020

Residents were reportedly not warned effectively about the lockdown, many only finding out when police arrived at the property. There will be 500 armed police per shift, with officers stationed on most floors.

Guns holstered. pic.twitter.com/UmH0EDDuSm

— Ben Watson (@benwatson200) July 4, 2020

Woah. People in public housing will actually be under *detention orders* for 14 days.

This is a really serious curtailment of the rights of the poor. I don’t think that there’s any way we’d see this in Toorak. https://t.co/SrwsnINYde

— Gemma Cafarella (she/her) ?️‍? (@gemmacaf) July 4, 2020

There is great concern for the residents, with many already part of the most vulnerable and over-policed communities in Victoria. The CEO of the Victorian Council of Social Service released a statement saying “Some public housing tenants have fled war or family violence. Some are dealing with mental health challenges. Many don’t speak English as their first language. Many others work casual or insecure jobs. This lockdown will scare many people, and trigger memories of past trauma.”

Devestating. Melbourne‘s most disadvantaged communities with the most severe lockdown orders. Will be traumatic for many especially those without English. Police officer on every floor to stop anyone leaving? Terrifying. All strength to North Melb and Flemington Estate residents.

— Rohan Leppert (@RohanLeppert) July 4, 2020

VIC places nine public housing estates under lockdown. Remember when a couple returned from skiing in Aspen to Mornington Peninsula with COVID and kept breaching self-isolation and no one considered putting rich suburbs under lockdown. Keep targeting migrants + poorer areas ?

— putting the pal in palestinian (@jennineak) July 4, 2020

Many of the residents will be in precarious employment situations, and it’s unclear what provisions will be made to ensure they can survive financially, and will have jobs to go back to.

Incredibly worried about the 3,000 people in public housing towers who are now in complete lockdown, with unclear ways to access food and medication, or to keep their jobs, and who are now subjected to increased police presence as a security measure. These are vulnerable people.

— Emily van der Nagel (@emvdn) July 4, 2020

Many people are wondering to the effectiveness of police being sent in to get control of the situation, instead of resources that should have been in place from the beginning to avoid this scenario.

For those asking what alternatives are: social workers, multilingual info, health care, testing, financial support, food, deep cleaning of shared spaces, community support. Heaps of ways to support, lock down, & prevent further outbreak. Not cops on every floor.

— Zoë Coombs Marr (@zoecoombsmarr) July 4, 2020

Why is nobody asking about psychological support, family violence workers, medical teams that will be provided to residents? #covid19Vic https://t.co/y9KRBN4SiZ

— Deirdre (@figgled) July 4, 2020

Who is accounting for all those who can’t speak English stuck in buildings probably hella traumatised and confused about the large amounts of police surrounding them

— wāni. (@wanifrombukavu) July 4, 2020

People are encouraging others to reach out to make a complaint to the Premier.

GOOD MORNING it’s a beautiful day to write to Premier, Daniel Andrews
daniel.andrews@parliament.vic.gov.au &
Minister for Housing, Richard Wynne
richard.wynne@parliament.vic.gov.au to express your disgust at lockdown of public housing

Stop wringing your hands! Take some action!

— baby supertaster (@_sassypastries) July 4, 2020

A post being shared this afternoon lists apparent requests from some of the people in lockdown.

Hi everyone. These are the demands of the people in hard lock down in North Melbourne and Flemington. Please share. pic.twitter.com/Nse2RbLaTh

— blak milf writer (@NayukaGorrie) July 5, 2020