Australia: Victoria reimposes COVID-19 lockdown measures as state records new cases

As Australia eased coronavirus lockdown measures, Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews reportedly said that the state was at a ‘critical crossroads’ as nearly 25 new COVID-19 cases were detected on June 19. While speaking at a news briefing, Andrews said that the case numbers have hit the highest ever in two months. The Victorian Premier also informed that the new confirmed cases were linked to big family gatherings and get-togethers. 

According to an international media outlet, the state has been reporting over ten confirmed cases in recent days. The officials informed that on Thursday the state also recorded 18 new cases. While last week Andrews announced the plans to further ease COVID-19 restrictions, on June 20, he said that with an increasing number of cases, homes would now be limited to a maximum of five visitors. He also reportedly said that the outdoor gatherings are also reduced from a 20-person cap to 10. 

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Furthermore, the plans to increase the maximum number of people allowed in restaurants, bars, museums, libraries and place of worship from 20 to 50 has also been pushed back to July 12. Meanwhile, the plans to resume indoor sports centres and physical recreation premises, including all indoor businesses in the malls still remains the same. Gyms also have a limitation of only allowing 20 people to enter the premises at a time to stem the transmission of the COVID-19 disease.

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Morrison pushes to reopen internal borders 

Moreover, the children sports complex is also set to resume from June 21, however, with adherence to the safety protocols. Even with a surge in COVID-19 cases, Australia’s federal government stepped up pressure on state and territory leaders to reopen internal borders in a bid to revive the country’s coronavirus-hit-economy. According to reports, the Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison also made the plea at a meeting of the national cabinet dealing with the crisis. 

While Morrison announced ‘three-step-plan’ last month to ease lockdown measures by July and also allow domestic travel, the implementation of it still depends on the leaders of the individual states and territories. Even though the country has managed to curb the spread of the deadly virus, in comparison to other hard-hit nations, several leaders still believe that it is unsafe for the country to lift restrictions. Last week, Andrews also cited the risk of a resurgence of the deadly disease. 

(Image: AP) 

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