MELBOURNE, (Reuters) – Australia’s Victoria state on Monday reported 1,377 new COVID-19 infections, up from 1,220 on Sunday, even as the state’s capital Melbourne overtook Buenos Aires as the world’s longest locked down city. There were also four new deaths.
While the case count in Australia’s second-most populous state rose on Monday, it was down from a record high 1,488 on Saturday, the highest for any state since the start of the pandemic last year.
Melbourne is in the midst of its sixth lockdown, for a cumulative total of 245 days since March last year. Curbs are due to be eased when 70% of the population over 16 is fully vaccinated, up from about 52% now.
