MELBOURNE: The premier of Australia's second-most populous state, Victoria, defended on Sunday his decision to put nine public housing towers in a complete lockdown as coronavirus cases continue to rise in Melbourne's suburbs.
The state recorded 74 cases new cases on Sunday, after Saturday's 108 cases prompted Premier Daniel Andrews to order about 3,000 people not to leave their homes for at least five days and to place police to guard the buildings."This is not going to be a pleasant experience for those residents, but I have a message for those residents: this is not about punishment but protection," Andrews said in a televised conference.
The communal nature of the facilities, which house people on low incomes, has"genuinely explosive potential for the spread of the virus," said Victoria's Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton. In addition to the complete lockdown orders, more than 30 Melbourne suburbs are also under strict social distancing orders, but people there can leave their houses to go to work, school or to buy groceries.
There have been just over 8,400 cases and 104 deaths so far, but the recent spike in Victoria is being closely watched by the rest of the country, which has moved to ease restrictions.
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Source: The Straits Times - 🏆 8. / 63 Read more »