Australia's coronavirus hot spot, Victoria state, will make wearing masks compulsory after reporting a record 723 new cases on Thursday, mostly among the vulnerable residents of aged care homes.
Masks have been compulsory for the past week in the state capital, Melbourne, Australia's second-largest city with 5 million people, and a neighbouring semi-rural district.
"If we were to reopen across metropolitan Melbourne and Mitchell Shire today, then it won't be 700 cases a day -- you can add a zero to that and our hospitals will be overrun and we will be conducting more funerals," he said. Andrews described aged care as a "big, big challenge." Military medics and interstate nurses have been brought into Melbourne nursing homes to boost standards of care.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison, whose federal government regulates nursing homes, said Melbourne aged care facilities are now faring better with military and outside nursing help. Morrison would not rule out more pandemic restrictions to drive down new infections, but doubted that any would extend beyond Victoria.
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