The Australian authorities extended the strict lockdown to Melbourne, the country’s second-largest city, on Sunday for an additional two weeks as the number of new coronavirus cases had not decreased sufficiently.

Melbourne residents were due out of six weeks of lockdown next weekend, but will face more restrictions in the coming months.

“If we open very quickly, then we have a very high probability that we will not actually open at all,” Andrews told a news conference. “We just started a third wave.”

“You better be careful”

Only 63 new cases and five deaths were recorded in Victoria on Sunday, compared to more than 700 at the height of the epidemic, but health authorities prefer to be careful.

Hopes of a return to normal life dashed this month and a night-time curfew was imposed, restrictions on home visitors and travel restrictions imposed on more than five kilometers, which will remain in place until at least October 26.

Australia has been relatively successful in containing the virus, with the country recording just over 26,000 cases and 753 deaths out of a population of 25 million.

ee (afp / ap / reuters)