MELBOURNE (Reuters) – The Australian state of Victoria will implement mandatory coronavirus testing for returning travelers after a sharp rise in infections in the past two weeks, the state prime minister said on Sunday.
The country’s second most populous state had 49 new cases on Sunday, the highest in more than two months and the twelfth consecutive day of double-digit increases. The rest of Australia has seen almost no infections.
“Like a forest fire, putting it out is a challenge,” Victoria Prime Minister Daniel Andrews said at a press conference, referring to forest fires late last year that swept across vast stretches of the country.
“Containing it, however, is something we can do, and testing and tracking is the most effective.”
Victoria officials said earlier this week that about 30% of returning travelers rejected a COVID-19 test, and Andrews said it will be a mandatory procedure. Australia also requires all locals to return to quarantine in hotels for two weeks.
Quarantined persons will be evaluated twice, first on day three and then on day 11 of their two-week quarantine period. Those who still reject the tests will have to be quarantined for another 10 days, Andrews said.
New South Wales, Australia’s largest state by population and which registered only three new cases on Sunday, implemented similar measures on Friday.
About 40,000 people have been screened since Friday in Victoria as public health officials stepped up efforts to prevent further spread of the virus. Since the beginning of the year, almost 12% of the state’s population has been examined.
Despite the increase in Victoria, Australia’s 7,700 cases and 104 deaths remain well below those of many other nations.
Report by Lidia Kelly; Editing by Tom Hogue
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