
Victoria back in lockdown with six virus hotspots.
Health authorities are confident the outbreak of COVID-19 in Victoria will be brought under control quickly, but it's shown that Australians cannot take it easy.
Victoria confirmed another 19 cases on Sunday, taking the number of new cases in the state over the past week to 160, and prompting a state of emergency extension of four weeks until July 19.
Cafes, restaurants and pubs were set to expand their number of patrons from 20 to 50 on Monday, but that is now on hold. Gyms, cinemas, indoor sports centres and concert venues will be allowed to reopen but with a 20-person limit.
Victoria is forced into stricter lock-down measures from today as the state deals with an alarming surge in cases. @ChristineAhern #9News pic.twitter.com/nUWPqqeTOu
— Nine News Melbourne (@9NewsMelb) June 21, 2020
Victoria's case numbers are the highest they have been in more than two months.
The only other cases reported on Sunday were five in NSW and one in Western Australia.
The Australian Health Protection Principal Committee says outbreaks have been identified in the local government areas of Hume, Casey, Brimbank, Moreland, Cardinia and Darebin.
"The AHPPC strongly discourages travel to and from those areas until control of community transmission has been confirmed," the committee said in a statement on Sunday.
Deputy Chief Medical Officer Nick Coatsworth said the panel had "every confidence" the outbreak would be brought under control.
"This is a good example of how things are going to work into the future," Dr Coatsworth said.
"(It is ) an important example because it will show how a state can get on top of outbreaks of this nature in Victoria and then move forward."
Most of the new cases in Victoria came from large family gatherings.
UK stabbings being treated as a terror attack.
A stabbing rampage in the southern English town of Reading, that killed three people and wounded others, was an act of terrorism, police say.
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