Australia suffers its deadliest day of coronavirus pandemic
- The number of coronavirus deaths in Australia’s Victoria hit a record high of 10 in 24 hours
- State leader left open possibility of extending Melbourne’s six-week lockdown
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Australia has suffered its deadliest day from the coronavirus since the pandemic began, with authorities reporting 10 fatalities Sunday and a rise in new infections despite an intensive lockdown effort.
The country’s Covid-19 death toll rose to 155 and the southeastern state of Victoria reported more than 450 new infections in the last 24 hours.
A clearly concerned Victoria Premier Daniel Andrews said 10 people aged between their 40s and 80s had died, of which seven deaths were linked to outbreaks in aged care facilities.
It is the worst loss of life from the virus in Australia since the disease first emerged.
Australia has dodged the worst ravages of the pandemic so far, logging just 14,000 cases in total – fewer than many harder-hit countries see in one day.
But a second wave of infections is testing the nation’s much-lauded response to the contagion.
The number of new cases has remained stubbornly high in recent days despite five million people in greater Melbourne spending the last two weeks in lockdown.
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Masks are mandatory in the city and Victoria is virtually sealed off from the rest of the country.
Police and the military are guarding state borders and visiting homes to enforce quarantine orders.
Still, 459 fresh cases were reported in Victoria on Sunday – up from 357 on Saturday. Around a dozen more were recorded in other parts of Australia.
“These things change rapidly, but we have to say these numbers are far too high,” Andrews said.
He left open the possibility of extending the city’s six-week lockdown and pleaded with the public to wear masks if they had to leave their homes.
“This is not about human rights,” Andrews said.
“There are 10 families that are going to be burying someone in the next few days. Wear a mask. It’s not too much to ask.”
Additional reporting by DPA
