MELBOURNE (AUSTRALIA) – Victoria, the second most populous state in Australia, went into a five-day lockdown on Saturday as authorities are scrambling to stem the spread of a third wave of the coronavirus.
Health authorities reported one new locally transmitted case on Saturday and the number of active cases is 20.
“A lot of people will be hurting today. This is not the position Victorians wanted to be in but I can’t have a situation where in two weeks’ time, we look back and wish we had taken these decisions now,” Victoria Premier Daniel Andrews said in a media briefing on Saturday.
The premier said Prime Minister Scott Morrison had agreed to halt all international flights to Melbourne until Wednesday after five flights land on Saturday.
The new cluster is linked to a quarantine hotel at Melbourne airport.
As people were ordered to remain at home, streets in downtown Melbourne, which is the capital of Victoria, and its suburbs were mostly empty. People are only allowed for essential shopping two hours of outdoor exercise, caregiving or work.
Restaurants and cafes have been shut for customers, except for takeaways. The curbs have come during the biggest weekend with Lunar New Year celebrations, Valentine’s Day and Australian Open.
