SYDNEY (AUSTRALIA) – Australia is all set to clock its lowest daily rise in new coronavirus cases in three months on Sunday. The strict lockdown in Melbourne has brought down the numbers sharply.
Victoria, which is the second-most populous state of the country, recorded 14 new infections in 24 hours and it is down from 21 new cases the day earlier.
Victoria’s capital, Melbourne, has been under lockdown to keep the daily new cases under 50 by Sept. 28 after which curbs could be lifted.
There were two new cases in the biggest state of New South Wales while Queensland too recorded two cases. This brings the national tally to 18, which is the lowest since June 23.
“There will of course always be debates about timing and whether we’re on schedule, ahead of schedule, all of those things, (but) ultimately these numbers are cause for great optimism and positivity,” said the premier of Victoria Daniel Andrews in a briefing.
Andrews has faced political pressure for his strict approach to enforcing the restrictions. He referred to recent spurt in infections in Europe as a warning about the after effect of lifting the curbs too soon.
“It’s heartbreaking to see, all that those communities have given, all the sacrifice that they’ve made, and now they’ve got cases running perhaps more wildly than their first wave,” he said. “You’ve got to see it off.”