Australia isolates virus-prone state, Serbs oppose lockdown

 Australia isolated state of Victoria on Wednesday in a bid to contain worsening spre of coronavirus as city of Melbourne prepared for its second lockdown, an example of a resurgent disease in places that initially succeeded in taming it.

Melbourne’s failure to curb virus in past three weeks is a starkly different pandemic experience to or parts of country that have been reporting single-digit daily counts of infections if any.

In Serbia, chaos erupted as thousands of protesters fought running battles with police and tried to storm parliament building in Belgre on Tuesday after president anunced that a coronavirus lockdown will be reintroduced in Balkan country.

President Aleksandar Vucic called virus situation in Belgre “alarming” and “critical” as city’s hospitals neared ir capacity limits after health officials reported highest single-day death toll of 13 amid 299 new COVID-19 cases.

Many blame autocratic Serbian leer for lifting previous lockdown measures just so he would cement his grip on power after parliamentary elections. He has denied those claims.

In China, where pandemic appeared late last year, only seven new cases were confirmed on Wednesday, all of m brought from outside country. But South Korea reported 63 ditional cases among a population twice size of Australia’s. South Korean authorities are scrambling to stem transmissions tied to places such as churches, temples, restaurants and workplaces.

Pakistan’s daily infection rate dropped below 3,000 for second straight day. Medical professionals are urging caution, ting testing has been cut by almost one third. Still some experts, particularly in eastern city of Lahore, capital of Pakistan’s Punjab province where nearly 60% of country’s 220 million people live, are suggesting virus may have peaked in June.

Victoria authorities anunced ar 134 coronavirus cases in latest 24 hours, down from a daily record 191 cases on Tuesday.

rest of Australia recorded 13 cases including three Melbourne-linked infections in national capital Canberra. Canberra infections are first recorded re in almost a month.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison said entire nation was behind Melbourne as it locked down for six weeks from Wednesday night.

“We’re all Melburnians w when it comes to challenges we face,” Morrison said. “We’re all Victorians w because we’re all Australians and that’s where challenge is right w."

Victoria border with New South Wales closed on Tuesday, but a stey stream of cars continued to pass through police checkpoints with permits granted to travelers to cross for reasons such as work and medical treatment.

New South Wales Premier Glys Berejiklian warned her citizens against traveling to border region. She foreshowed potential restrictions on travel within Australia’s most populous state to furr reduce risk of Melbourne virus reaching Sydney.

Or states have warned that people from Victoria would be turned back or be forced to spend two weeks in quarantine on arrival.

Australian successes in early weeks of pandemic through its suppression strategy were similar to near-neighbor New Zealand, which set out to ericate virus and ended community transmission.

New Zealand authorities said Wednesday y will press charges against a coronavirus patient who escaped quarantine in Auckland and went shopping at a supermarket.

Air Commodore Darryn Webb, he of mand isolation and quarantine, said 32-year-old man escaped through a fence at Stamford Plaza hotel and was gone for just over an hour before returning.

man later tested positive for virus. Webb said man was a New Zealander who recently returned from India and his actions were “completely unacceptable.”

New Zealand is trying to contain cases at border by placing new arrivals into a 14-day quarantine at various hotels.

Morrison said he wanted to reduce numbers of Australian citizens, permanent residents and foreigners exempt from Australia’s travel ban landing at Australian airports because of strain on hotel quarantine.