MELBOURNE— A pandemic lockdown in Australia’s second-largest city will be prolonged for a second week due to concerns over a growing cluster of coronavirus infections.
Victoria state acting Premier James Merlino on Wednesday confirmed that Melbourne will remain in lockdown for seven more days from Friday, however, pandemic restrictions will be eased elsewhere within the state.
Merlino says that “if we let this thing run its course, it’ll explode.”
Victoria officers stated Wednesday that the state recorded six new locally acquired coronavirus cases within the latest 24-hour period, bringing the latest outbreak to 60 active infections. The lockdown is the fourth for Melbourne, which has 5 million residents.
