Victorian Government tightens Coronavirus restrictions after second wave of infections

A spike in new COVID-19 cases has prompted the Victoria Government to announce a temporary tightening of Coronavirus restrictions.

Alarming other states who have yet to reopen their borders, the Victorian Government today announced that more than 100 new cases had been identified in the state over the past week.

Warning against travelling to and from Victorian Coronavirus hotspots in the local government areas of Hume, Casey, Brimbank, Moreland, Cardinia and Darebin, a statement from the Australian Health Protection Principal Committee advised that it “strongly discourages travel to and from those areas until control of community transmission has been confirmed.”

The reapplication of restrictions will see gyms, play centres and indoor sport centres, that are set to reopen from tomorrow, being restricted to having just 20 people within their facilities rather than 50, as was originally planned.

The spike in infections has alarmed other states that were still keeping their borders closed - including Queensland and Western Australia - but had been under pressure to reopen them.

Queensland Health Minister Steven Miles stated “the last thing we want to do is lift the borders, have lots of people come here for school holidays, spread coronavirus in our state, and then force us to go backwards on restrictions.

“Clearly what’s happening in Victoria will be a matter we will need to take into account in those considerations.”

West Australian Premier Mark McGowan said he was also concerned about the implications for his state reopening borders, adding “clearly what has happened in Victoria means that we will take that into account in any decisions we’ll make, but like everyone I’m very worried about it when you see these outbreaks.

“Once they get out of control people can die and I don’t want to see that come here.”