Australian State Records 30 New Virus Cases as Testing Ramps Up

(Bloomberg) -- Australia’s second-most populous state has recorded 30 new coronavirus cases as authorities seek to avert a second wave of infections.

The state is ramping up testing, with 20,000 carried out in the past 24 hours across hotspots in Melbourne’s northern and eastern suburbs.

The outbreak in Victoria, which has now had 10 consecutive days of double-digit increases, has caused neighboring New South Wales to warn travelers from the state to stay away. That will likely be a further blow to domestic tourism, with much of the nation about to start mid-winter school holidays.

The Northern Territory on Friday recommitted to opening its borders on July 17. Still, arrivals will need to sign a statutory declaration that they haven’t visited a local government area designated by health authorities as a virus hotspot, with penalties for misleading statements leading to fines or imprisonment.

Of the new cases in Victoria, seven are linked to known outbreaks, five have been detected in hotel quarantine, five have been detected through routine testing, and 13 are under investigation.

©2020 Bloomberg L.P.