14th July, 2020
Australian states on Tuesday tightened restrictions on movement as authorities struggle to contain a fresh outbreak of COVID-19 in the country.
With growing fears of a second coronavirus wave nationally, two states extended their border restrictions. Australia’s most populous state, Melbourne also imposed limits on the number of people allowed in large pubs.
The changes come as scores of new cases were uncovered in Victoria, the country’s COVID-19 hotspot, despite a return to lockdown last week for nearly 5 million people in state capital Melbourne.
Active cases in the state rose to nearly 2,000 after another 270 infections were detected in the past 24 hours, authorities said, taking Australia’s total number of cases to about 10,000, with 107 deaths.
“We haven’t turned the corner yet. I hope to see that this week, but there are no guarantees,” Brett Sutton, Victoria’s Chief Medical Officer told reporters in Melbourne.
South Australia cancelled plans to reopen its border to New South Wales on July 20, while Queensland introduced a mandatory two-week quarantine for people who have visited two areas in Sydney’s western suburbs.
“Our primary responsibility in South Australia is to the health, safety and welfare of all South Australians,” Premier Steven Marshall told reporters in Adelaide.