The lockdown lasted five days at eight of the nine towers but because of high infection rates, residents at 33 Alfred Street, North Melbourne, were subject to another nine days of isolation â prompting Ms Glassâ investigation.
Khalid Farah, a resident at 33 Alfred Street, said everyone in the towers supported the lockdown to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
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âIt was the way in which it was handled,â he said.
âWe all deserve to be treated like human beings, regardless of whatever is going on in the world.â
Mr Farah said he wanted an apology but more importantly he wanted the government to bring in legislation so that the same thing would never happen again.
Australia s Covid-19 lockdown in Victoria state violated human rights
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Thursday, 17 Dec 2020 12:47 PM MYT
Victoria Police officers and health workers outside a public housing tower along Racecourse Road that was placed under lockdown due to the cCovid-19 outbreak in Melbourne, Australia July 6, 2020. AAP Image via Reuters
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SYDNEY, Dec 17 An Australian state’s decision to lockdown more than 3,000 people in public housing towers to contain a second COVID-19 outbreak was not based on direct health advice and violated human rights, Victoria’s state Ombudsman said in a report.
Australia’s second-most populous state, Victoria, locked down nine public housing towers for several days in July due to a surge in coronavirus cases.
An Australian state s decision to lockdown more than 3,000 people in public housing towers to contain a second COVID-19 outbreak was not based on direct health advice and violated human rights, Victoria s state Ombudsman said in a report.
Australia s second-most populous state, Victoria, locked down nine public housing towers for several days in July due to a surge in coronavirus cases.
Victoria s acting chief health officer had only 15 minutes to consider and approve the lockdown, including the potential human rights impacts, Ombudsman Deborah Glass said in her report released on Thursday. The rushed lockdown was not compatible with the residents human rights, including their right to humane treatment when deprived of liberty., the action appeared to be contrary to the law, she said.
Updated / Thursday, 17 Dec 2020
09:24
A resident of one of the towers in Melbourne looking out his window during lockdown last July
An Australian state s decision to lock down more than 3,000 people in public housing towers violated human rights, Victoria s Ombudsman Deborah Glass has declared.
The restrictions were imposed on 4 July in response to a surge in coronavirus cases in Melbourne city.
Residents in eight tower blocks were confined in their apartments for five days but the ninth tower, which had the highest number of infections, went through a total lockdown for two weeks.
Some residents were left without food and medicines while many others waited more than a week to be allowed outside, the report said.
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