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Authorities in Australia have put nine tower blocks in Melbourne under a “hard lockdown” following a spike in coronavirus cases.
The new restrictions mean that around 3,000 people living in the apartments will not be allowed to leave their homes for any reason for the next five days.
Victoria’s premier Daniel Andrews said the “hard lockdown” would mean “there will be no one allowed in … and no one allowed out”.
According to Reuters, police will be placed on each floor of the towers and law enforcement authorities will also control access points.
Australia’s The Age newspaper said that at least 23 coronavirus cases were found on two estates in recent days.
Stay-at-home orders have also been placed on a number of Melbourne suburbs, though the restrictions on these areas are less strict.
It comes after the state, which is the second-most populous in Australia, reported its biggest jump in Covid-19 cases since March.
Victoria recorded 108 new cases on Saturday, up from 66 on Friday and more than 70 new cases in each of the previous four days.
“These numbers are a very real concern to all of us,” Andrews told a news conference.
The spike in Victoria is being closely watched as the rest of the country has reined in the virus that causes COVID-19.
Australia’s most populated state, New South Wales, only reported six new coronavirus cases on Saturday, five of them returning travellers from overseas.
The sixth is a past infection and not an active case, according to health officials. The state reported no new cases on Friday.
Overall, Australia has weathered the coronavirus pandemic much better than most other nations, with just over 8,300 cases and 104 deaths so far.
However, it is not the only country using local lockdowns to try and battle the virus.
While Leicester remains under stricter lockdown restrictions in the UK following a surge in cases, authorities in Spain have ordered the lockdown of El Segria county near the city of Lleida.
It comes after health officials recorded a jump in 60 cases in 24 hours. The outbreaks are linked to agricultural workers in the rural area, Reuters reported.
