Australia's Victoria extends state of emergency as cases rise

MELBOURNE • Australia's second-most populous state, Victoria, yesterday extended its state of emergency for four more weeks to July 19, as it battles a spike in coronavirus infections with a pick-up in community transmission.

The move came a day after the state said it would reimpose restrictions capping visitors to households to five people and outdoor gatherings to 10, starting today.

The limits were relaxed on June 1 to allow up to 20 people in households and at public gatherings.

Victoria reported 19 new infections yesterday, the fifth day of double-digit rises. The state has now had 1,836 confirmed cases, a quarter of the cases in Australia, since the Covid-19 pandemic erupted.

Yesterday's tally in Victoria included an Australian Rules football player, the first in the league to test positive.

The surge in Victoria has alarmed other states, which have had few, if any, new cases for several weeks.

Queensland and Western Australia, which shut their borders in March and April respectively, said they would weigh Victoria's situation before reopening.

"But the last thing we want to do is lift the borders, have lots of people come here, for example for school holidays, spread coronavirus in our state and then force us to go backwards on restrictions," Queensland Deputy Premier Steven Miles said.

Despite Victoria's surge, health officials see no need to require face masks. They would have limited value in a country where absolute transmission numbers remain "very low", said Australia's deputy chief medical officer Nick Coatsworth.

Avoiding hugging and kissing were "arguably far more important than, say, wearing masks", he said.

Victorian health minister Jenny Mikakos said 210 of the state's cases are believed to be tied to community transmission, blaming families who have held large gatherings attended by people with mild symptoms since restrictions were eased.

"We obviously have been concerned by the increasing numbers that we have seen in recent days. It is still a very serious situation," Ms Mikakos said at a televised media conference in Melbourne.

State police said they planned to step up enforcement, targeting suburbs where there have been breakouts and holiday spots during a state school vacation starting next week. Individuals caught breaching restrictions face fines of up to A$1,652 (S$1,580).

The Australian Industry Group, which represents employers, said Victoria's prolonging of curbs, including extending work-from-home practices through next month, would make it harder for businesses to reopen.

REUTERS