State authorities have ordered the closure of the second largest city in the country due to a recurrence of the Corona virus • "We are on the verge of something very bad"
Policeman enforces corona closure in Melbourne // Photo: AP
Australia is facing a new outbreak of the Corona epidemic and authorities in Victoria have ordered a renewed closure of the city of Melbourne, the second largest city in the country and home to 4.4 million residents.
The Australian newspaper The Morning Herald reported that schools would be closed across the metropolitan area of Melbourne and other parts of the state of Victoria including the towns of Broadford, Kilmore, Seymour, Telrock, Peeling and Wallan. Citizens in these areas are required to avoid leaving their homes except for heritage work, food, and medical care.
Residents in the closure areas are expected to stay in their homes for at least six weeks and are prohibited from exiting the closure area or moving to another residential area. Virginia State Attorney Daniel Andrews said when the closure was applied: "The number of new cases in Melbourne is unusually large. We know we are on the verge of something very bad if we do not take the necessary steps today."
Andrews added that in the existing situation it would not be possible to continue to locate all the new cases and isolate the virus and without closure "The situation is quickly out of control. We must be realistic about the reality we are dealing with." This is not the first time parts of the city of Melbourne have been put under closure.
In the last 48 hours, more than 325 new cases of the Corona virus have been registered in Victoria. Yesterday, Canberra authorities announced that the border between the state of New South Wales and Victoria, the two most populous states in the Australian Federation, will be closed for passage until further notice.
106 Australian citizens have died as a result of the Corona virus since the outbreak began in February. More than 8,700 Australians have been infected with the virus.
