MELBOURNE, Australia — Australia’s Victoria state is set to reimpose household restrictions from Monday after recording double-digit increases in COVID-19 cases for a fourth consecutive day.
Victoria Premier Daniel Andrews says household gatherings will be restricted to five guests and outdoor gatherings to 10 people until midnight July 12.
Andrews said Victoria recorded 25 new cases on Saturday, the biggest daily increase in two months.
The planned easing of restrictions for cafes, restaurants, and pubs, from a maximum of 20 guests to a maximum of 50, will be deferred for three weeks. Businesses that are set to open for the first time Monday, including gyms and cinemas, will be allowed to do so but with a maximum of 20 people.
More than half of the new cases in Victoria have come from family-to-family transmission, Andrews said, adding: “I’m frustrated by it. I’m disappointed by it.”
He said the numbers remained low but the state authorities are “acting quickly and early to get back on top of it.” Andrews flagged the prospect of COVID-19 hot spots being forced back into stay-at-home lockdown if local outbreaks become serious.
Victoria state has accounted for 19 of Australia’s 102 deaths from COVID-19, and almost 1,800 of the country’s 7,411 confirmed infections, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University.