Australian authorities unnerved by surge in Melbourne cases
Jamie Smyth in Sydney
Australia is facing a “concerning” spike in coronavirus infections with 75 new cases reported in the state of Victoria on Monday, prompting authorities to warn they are “right on the edge of” being able to handle the outbreak.
“Obviously we are concerned by the increasing number and the upward trend and are monitoring the situation very closely,” said Jenny Mikakos, Victoria’s health minister.
The total number of cases in Victoria since the pandemic began now stands at almost 2,100 with double digit increases occurring every day for most of the past fortnight following the easing of some social-distancing restrictions.
The surge in cases is unnerving Australian officials, who have begun rolling back measures aimed at suppressing the spread of Covid-19 in order to kick-start economic recovery.
Australia has enjoyed success in limiting the spread of Covid-19 with several states reporting no new cases for more than a week. But the situation in Victoria, of which Melbourne is the state capital, poses a risk to plans to reopen state borders to tourism later this month.
Brett Sutton, Victoria’s chief health officer, said the state was right on the edge of being able to handle the recent Covid-19 outbreak, which has accelerated across several suburbs of Melbourne. He said authorities were considering recommending that people begin wearing masks on public transport and in other situations, where social distancing is not possible, and a return to a stricter lockdown is possible.
“It’s pretty clear wearing a mask might provide a bit more physical distance between you and others as they see you wearing it,” he said.
The surge in Victoria has complicated the return of Australian Rules Football, with the sport’s national body forced to rearrange fixtures due to new quarantine measures put in place by Queensland authorities for any teams that play sides from Victoria.
Queensland’s state government is due to announce whether to press ahead with plans to open its borders to travellers from other states on Tuesday.