RESIDENTS of Melbourne, Australia will be banned from leaving their homes for six weeks as the city begins a second lockdown amid a spike in new coronavirus cases.
The BBC reported that five million people would be affected by the ban and would only be allowed to leave their homes for essential purposes.
Police reportedly said they were setting up a “ring of steel” around the city, with “checkpoints anytime and anywhere” to enforce the measures.
According to the BBC, borders between Victoria, of which Melbourne is the capital, and neighbouring states closed on Tuesday.
At a press conference Prime Minister Scott Morrison said, “The rest of the country knows that the sacrifice that you’re going through right now is not just for you and your own family, but it’s for the broader Australian community.”
Morrison also said he was proposing measures to slow the return of Australian nationals from overseas.
BBC reported that Victoria State Premier Daniel Andrews announced the Melbourne lockdown on Tuesday after the state saw 191 new infections, its highest daily number since the pandemic started.
Wednesday’s figure was down to 134, but still much higher than numbers in the rest of the country.
Australia has recorded almost 9,000 cases and 106 deaths from the virus.
