Melbourne to Scale Back World’s Longest COVID-19 Lockdowns

An empty Bourke Street Mall is seen in Melbourne, Australia, on Oct. 17, 2021. Quinn Rooney/Getty Images

Melbourne, Australia, has announced plans to lift stay-at-home orders this week as the state’s vaccination rate is set to reach 70 percent this week.

The scaled-back restrictions come as the city has become known as the home of the world’s longest COVID-19 restrictions, totaling 262 days over the course of six separate lockdowns since March 2020.