Australia's Victoria state introduces suburban lockdowns to curb new outbreaks

Authorities on Tuesday ordered the lockdown of 36 suburbs in Australia’s second biggest city Melbourne in an attempt to stop a spike in coronavius cases, a dramatic departure from the relaxation of restrictions elsewhere in the country. From midnight on Wednesday the first suburb-specific stay-home order will be imposed on some 320,000 people, the Victorian state Premier Daniel Andrews told a news conference on Tuesday. Residents in the suburbs must stay home unless travelling for work, school, healthcare, exercise or food for a period of four weeks.