Join our daily newsletter At The Bell to receive exclusive market insights
- Victoria has recorded 127 new cases of COVID-19 in the last 24 hours, its highest ever daily total since the pandemic began
- A man in his 90s has also died in a Victorian hospital due to the coronavirus, bringing our nation’s death toll to 105
- Of the 127 new cases, 53 are under investigation
- Additionally, none of today’s new cases came from overseas travellers
- Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews has announced he will close Victoria’s borders, effective from July 8
- He also apologised and offered his support to residents cooped up at their homes after hard lockdowns were introduced in Flemington and North Melbourne
Victoria has recorded its biggest ever increase in COVID-19 cases, with the number of new infections soaring to 127 in the last 24 hours.
A man in his 90s has also died from the coronavirus in a Victorian hospital overnight, bringing the number of deaths in Australia from the virus to 105.
“Sadly, it is my duty to inform you that a man in his 90s has passed away overnight. He was in the care of one of our hospitals. We send our condolences and our best wishes to his family and loved ones,” said Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews.
From the 127 new cases recorded overnight, 53 are under investigation. None of today’s new cases came from overseas travellers.
Currently, Victoria has 645 active COVID-19 cases.
Borders to close
Following today’s record spike, Premier Andrews has announced he will shut the state’s border, with residents to be cut off from midnight tomorrow, July 7.
“That [border closure] is the product of a joint decision and an agreement between the Prime Minister, myself and the Premier of NSW — one that I think is the smart call, the right call at this time — given the significant challenges we face in containing this virus,” Premier Andrews said.
“I apologise for any inconvenience that will cause people who have unavoidable travel to NSW,” he added.
Victoria and South Australia’s border has been shut since the pandemic began, however, the NSW-Victoria border remained open.
It’ll now be shut following the record surge in infections, with NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian and Prime Minister Scott Morrison signing off on the move.
NSW Police will be in charge of monitoring the roads leading in and out of the state, as Victorian police are busy maintaining lockdown within Melbourne.
Lockdowns expanded
Alongside the border closure, the Victorian Chief Health Officer signalled more lockdowns could be implemented in suburbs bordering areas already shut.
“It’s not just in those restricted postcodes. There’s significant spillover and so to use the bushfire analogy, there are literally spot fires adjacent to those restricted postcodes,” said Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton.
Hard-lockdowns, trapping around 3000 public housing residents in their flats, were introduced for the first time at the weekend in the suburbs of Flemington and North Melbourne.
Residents were given 30 minutes notice by police before being locked inside their homes for at least five days, with all food and other essentials to be brought in by officials.
The move has sparked backlash, but Premier Andrews maintains it is the best course of action to stop the spread of the coronavirus, and promised to support those affected by the lockdown.
“Staying inside your flat, inside your unit, is the safest and best thing to do. It is not pleasant. I know it’s challenging. It is very challenging, but it is far preferable to seeing vast numbers of people with underlying health conditions infected with this virus, spreading it between each other and the inevitable tragic outcomes that will come from that,” he said.
“We will continue to work hard every hour of every day over this five-day period to get to every resident the support that they need and to get every resident tested,” he added.
