New anti-Covid-19 vaccine protests in Australia

Sydney, Australia, Dec 12 (EFE).- Thousands of people demonstrated again Sunday in several Australian cities against the government’s response against the pandemic and mandatory Covid-19 vaccines.

In Melbourne, in Victoria state, more than 1,000 people peacefully gathered with Australian flags and banners against vaccinations and Covid-19 restrictions, shouting slogans such as “my body, my decision.”

A small but prominent part of protesters have links to the ultra-right and conspiracy theories, according to the public broadcaster ABC.

Victoria authorities, the second most populated state in the country and the most affected by the pandemic, have made full vaccination against Covid-19 mandatory to access most places and work centers.

Melbourne, which in October became the city in the world with the most accumulated days under strict confinement, now seeks to restore normalcy with laws that penalize people who have chosen not to be vaccinated.

In Queensland, thousands of people also gathered Sunday to protest against vaccines, confinements and the mandatory use of masks, according to ABC.

The concentration in the town of Coolangatta, near the border with the state of New South Wales, came hours after Queensland authorized the travel of vaccinated people from other Australian states.

Australia, after several problems that delayed the vaccination campaign, has managed to catch up and become one of the countries with the highest rate of inoculation, since 89 percent of those over 16 have received two doses.

After closing its borders and implementing early confinements, Australia kept Covid-19 at bay, but the delta variant was more difficult to control and triggered infections, which made the authorities bet on vaccination.

The oceanic country, with 25 million inhabitants, has registered 222,000 infections and about 2,000 deaths, very low figures compared to other countries of similar size. EFE

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