Coronavirus: Australia to close border between two most populous states

Doctors in a test area for the Covid-19 in Melbourne, Australia, June 26, 2020. AAP Image / James Ross via REUTERS

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Beginning on Tuesday, Australia will isolate Victoria from the rest of the country and put in place unprecedented measures to combat a worrying increase in the number of coronavirus cases, authorities announced on Monday (July 6th).

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The boundary between the two most populous states in Australia - Victoria and New South Wales - will be closed from midnight on the night of Monday July 6 to Tuesday July 7, officials of the two states said. This closure will be the first in 100 years, the border having been closed for the last time in 1919 during the Spanish flu epidemic.

The only other border of the State of Victoria, with the State of South Australia, was already closed. In addition, 300,000 people were placed in containment in the suburbs of Melbourne, the state capital. This measure should remain in effect until July 29, while Melbourne has seen a spike in the number of infections in recent days.

A "good choice" for the Prime Minister of Victoria

Victoria reported on Monday a record number of 127 new cases as the virus spread in the city of Melbourne, including several densely populated buildings. The Prime Minister of this State, Daniel Andrews, described the closure decision as "a  good choice at the moment given the considerable challenges we are facing in order to contain this virus  ".

►Also read: Coronavirus: the end of the “Australian dream” for foreign students?

Australia has recorded more than 8,500 cases of coronavirus and 105 deaths. The majority of new daily cases are now recorded in Melbourne, while most of the other regions benefit from a relaxation of the measures.

(With AFP)

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  • Australia
  • Coronavirus
  • Health and Medicine

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