Non-essential Melbourne businesses shut to curb virus

Commuters walk outside Melbourne’s Flinders Street Station on July 23, 2020, on the first day of the mandatory wearing of face masks in public areas as the city experiences an outbreak of the COVID-19 coronavirus. (Photo by William WEST / AFP)

MELBOURNE — Non-essential businesses in Australia’s second-biggest city were ordered Monday to close as officials struggle to control a growing coronavirus outbreak in Melbourne.

Victoria state Premier Daniel Andrews said most retail outlets in Melbourne would be required to shut down from midnight Wednesday into Thursday, while sectors including meat production and construction would be ordered to scale down operations from Friday.

The announcement came as the state recorded 429 new infections and 13 deaths from the virus Monday.

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