The Australian state of Victoria has declared a state of disaster and imposed new lockdown measures after a surge in coronavirus infections, the BBC reports.
Residents of Melbourne, the state's capital, will be subject to a night-time curfew from eight in the evening until five in the morning. The only valid reasons for leaving one's home during these hours are shopping for essentials, medical care, and exercise for up to one hour. In addition, all schools are returning to distance-learning.
State Premier Daniel Andrews told reporters today that restrictions were having an impact but given the continued rise in cases, "We must go harder. It's the only way we'll get to the other side of this."
The state has reported 671 new coronavirus cases and seven deaths in the last day, for a total of 11,557 infections and 123 deaths since the outbreak of the epidemic.