Australia: Victoria sees surge in COVID-19 death toll in lockdown

The state went into lockdown on July 7, after Melbourne reported a rise in cases

melbourne reuters A worker walks past a poster promoting use of masks in Melbourne | Reuters

Victoria, Australia’s second-most populous state, is seeing a surge in the number of deaths due to the coronavirus even as it remains in a state of lockdown.

The state went into lockdown on July 7, after Melbourne reported an increase in COVID-19 cases. On July 6, the authorities had closed the border between Victoria and New South Wales to thwart the spread of the virus.

Currently, the total death toll in the state is 55, with six more people dying on Thursday. Of these, three people were above the age of 80 and three above the age of 90.

Besides, putting 5 million people in the state under lockdown, masks have become mandatory this week.

The number of new infections is down from 403 on Thursday and Wednesday’s record of 484—the state reported 300 new infections.

Victoria Premier Daniel Andrews on Thursday announced cash incentives to encourage people to get tested and stay at home.

Victoria has a total of 7,249 positive cases for the coronavirus of which, 6,825 cases are from the metropolitan area of Melbourne.

According to data, almost all those feeling unwell didn’t isolate between the time they first felt sick and when they got a test.

In the meantime, three schools in Sydney were closed on Thursday after four pupils from these schools were tested positive for the virus. Now, the New South Wales health department is assisting the schools with deep cleaning and contact tracing.

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