Propelled by Victoria state reporting 75 cases, Australia recorded
85 new COVID-19 infections in the past 24 hours, its biggest daily
outbreak since April 11.
Australia has fared better than many countries in the coronavirus
pandemic, with around 7,800 cases and 104 deaths, but the recent
surge has stoked fears of a second wave after several weeks of fewer
than 20 new cases a day.
The resurgence in Australia comes as total infections hit 10 million
cases worldwide and the global death toll from the virus tops half a
million people.
As new coronavirus cases have mounted, Victoria has embarked on a
massive testing regime and the state's chief health officer said the
state may need to re-introduce social distancing restrictions.
"Changing the law is something we have to consider because we have
to do whatever is required to turn this around," Brett Sutton told
reporters in Melbourne, referring to questions about enforcing
localised lockdowns.
Victorian state officials last week deployed ambulances and mobile
test centres in a bid to test most residents in 10 hotspot suburbs.
However, some locals declined the voluntary throat and nasal swab
tests. Victoria is hoping a new saliva test, which is less
intrusive, will encourage more people to get tested - even though it
is slightly less accurate.
"We think it will play a role in bolstering testing reach across the
state," said Professor Sharon Lewin, Director of the Doherty
Institute, which developed the test.
"Vulnerable populations or in people who have trouble with the
throat swab, such as children or other individuals who find it more
acceptable."
MORE STIMULUS NEEDED
In May, Victoria - home to more than 6 million people - began
lifting restrictions imposed a month earlier to slow the spread of
the virus.
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It has pledged to remove the bulk of restrictions by the end of July.
The restrictions, including forcing restaurants and cafes to offer only takeaway
services, shutting schools and halting sports proved successful in slowing the
spread of COVID-19.
But it was a hammer blow to Australia's economy, which is heading into its first
recession in three decades as the unemployment rate hits a 19-year high of 7.1%.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison has called on states to continue easing
restrictions, insisting the country's economy must be revived.
Morrison ruled out a blanket extension of a A$60 billion ($41.1 billion) wage
subsidy scheme beyond its scheduled end in September.
"It can't be sustained forever," Morrison said, adding that another phase of
stimulus at the end of September would be targeted "to the people who need it
most".
The Grattan Institute, an independent think tank, said in a report published on
Monday the government needs to inject up to A$90 billion more in stimulus,
including extending its wage subsidy programme.
That stimulus was needed before the annual budget in October to bring the
unemployment rate down to about 5% by the middle of 2022, the report said.
($1 = 1.4592 Australian dollars)
(Reporting Colin Packham; additional reporting by Reju Jose Editing by Jane
Wardell and Lincoln Feast)
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