MELBOURNE/SYDNEY (AUSTRALIA) – The state of Victoria in Australia witnessed a record 59 fatalities linked to coronavirus on Friday, which is the highest daily tally for the nation, including previously unrecorded fatalities in aged care homes over the past weeks.
The spike in fatalities in Victoria has pushed the national death toll to 737. Prime Minister Scott Morrison and heads of states and territories are meeting to iron out differences over the closure of borders.
The bulk of Australia’s second wave of infections is linked to Melbourne, the capital of Victoria.
The city reported 81 new cases on Friday as well as 59 deaths of which 50 are residents of aged homes, according to the health department.
The federal government is urging states and territories to reopen the borders as the country braces for its first recession in 30 years.