Global coronavirus cases surpass 10 million
All those returning to the Australian state of Victoria will need to test negative for coronavirus before being released from quarantine, says Victoria premier Daniel Andrews.
Victoria is the only state in Australia that has been testing returned travelers twice – on day three and day 11.
Starting Sunday, the day 11 test will become mandatory and those who refuse to comply will be required to remain in quarantine for another 10 days.
Andrews also said that some suburbs could be put under a stay-at-home order or some sort of lockdown, if needed.
“I’m not announcing that today, but there’s been some talk in the media today about those sort of suburban lockdowns,” he said. “I’m hoping it doesn’t get to that.”
The background: Victoria has seen a spike in cases over the past two weeks. Last Friday, the state said it would launch a targeted testing program, allowing residents in 10 suburbs to receive free testing for the next 10 days.
In total, 40,000 tests have been conducted since the program was launched.
Andrews said the current situation is “much like a bushfire.”
“Putting this out is challenging, containing it, though, is something that we can do.”
