Victoria State Considering 4-Week Statewide Lockdown: Australian

(Bloomberg) -- Australia’s second-most populous state is considering a four-week statewide lockdown as it tries to crush a second wave of coronavirus cases, the Australian newspaper reported.

The announcement could come later Tuesday, the newspaper said, citing well-placed sources it didn’t identify. New infections spiked by 191 overnight, the biggest daily increase, according to the report.

Victoria Premier Daniel Andrews’s office didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

The state has locked down 12 areas of its capital Melbourne after recording more than two weeks of double-digit increases. Authorities are concerned that the spike in cases comes from community transmission, rather than returned overseas travelers, and are closing the border with neighboring New South Wales.

While Australia has been one of the standout performers globally in limiting the spread of the virus to less than 9,000 cases, Victoria’s flare-up -- mainly amid Melbourne’s poorer and more multicultural suburbs -- shows just how hard it will be to eradicate without a vaccine.

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