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 It was the second day of demonstrations in the locked-down
Australian city after authorities shut construction sites for two
weeks, saying workers' frequent movement was spreading the
coronavirus.
During eight hours of downtown protests, demonstrators threw rocks,
bottles and flares at police, as television and social media showed
video of marchers chanting and attacking police cars, surrounded by
mounted police and officers in riot gear.
"This was a very, very large and very, very angry group," Shane
Patton, police commissioner in the southeastern state of Victoria,
told reporters, adding that the protest breached COVID-19 lockdown
rules.
"And it was a challenging and confronting environment," he added,
urging people to stay away on Wednesday.
Protesters included not only construction workers but opponents of
mandatory vaccinations and Victoria's extended lockdown, who cursed
the jab, state premier Dan Andrews and the workers' union leader,
who had backed vaccination for members.
"Acts of violence and disruption won't result in one less case of
COVID - in fact it only helps the virus to spread," Andrews said in
a statement.
The halt in building activities followed a protest against a vaccine
mandate that turned violent on Monday. The state requires all
construction workers to receive at least one vaccine dose by the end
of this week.
"The public health team was left with no choice but to hit the pause
button and continue to work with the sector over the next two weeks
to improve compliance," state Health Minister Martin Foley told
reporters.
The forced closures of building sites will worsen Australia's
economic woes, with some economists forecasting the extended
lockdowns could push the A$2 trillion ($1.45 trillion) economy into
a second recession in as many years.
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 Australia has locked down its
largest cities of Sydney and Melbourne, as well
as the capital, Canberra, to rein in an outbreak
of the highly infectious Delta variant.
But the tough curbs have triggered anti-lockdown
rallies with police arresting hundreds in both
cities over the weekend.
Tuesday's 603 new infections in Victoria were
the highest daily figure this year, with one new
death was recorded.
Authorities have begun to ease some strictures
on outdoor gatherings and exercise in Sydney and
Melbourne as vaccination rates rise, with more
freedom promised once 70% to 80% of adults in
the population have received both vaccine doses.
Until now, 53% have been fully vaccinated in the state of New South
Wales, home to Sydney, while in Victoria the coverage is 44%.
New South Wales reported 1,022 new infections, the majority in
Sydney, its capital, up from Monday's figure of 935, and 10 deaths.
Even with the Delta outbreaks, Australia's COVID-19 infections are
lower than many comparable nations, with 88,700 cases and 1,178
deaths.
($1=A$1.3780)
(Reporting by Renju Jose; Additional reporting by Sonali Paul;
Editing by Michael Perry and Clarence Fernandez)
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