On Saturday, without warning, more than 500 armed police officers surrounded nine public housing towers in Melbourne, Australia, and placed them under “hard lockdown,” after a number of residents tested positive for coronavirus. Under the hastily imposed restrictions, the harshest in the country so far, the buildings’ 3,000 residents have been banned from leaving their homes for any reason. Government officials have argued that the draconian measures are necessary in order to prevent the coronavirus from spreading throughout the buildings, which are home to many poor, minority residents. Daniel Andrews, the premier of the Australian state of Victoria, said that the...
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