The border dividing Australia’s two most populous states was closed for the first time in a century in hopes of containing a growing coronavirus outbreak.
The crossing areas between Victoria and New South Wales will now be patrolled by the military to ensure that no one illegally travels to the other side, according to Reuters. The news agency reports that the last time such a shutdown occurred was in 1919, during the Spanish flu pandemic.
“It is the smart call, the right call at the moment, given the significant challenges we face in containing this virus,” said Victoria Prime Minister Daniel Andrews in his capital Melbourne where COVID-19 cases have increased in the last days.
Police monitor access to locked apartments in Melbourne, Australia on Monday. (AP)
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As of Sunday, the state of Victoria reported 127 new coronavirus cases, an increase from the daily average of 109 cases reported across the continent in the past week. The increase has led local authorities to enforce social distancing guidelines and put nine public housing buildings under lock and key.
In the first week of June, the daily average across Australia was just nine cases, Reuters reports.
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New South Wales Prime Minister Gladys Berejiklian said the border between the two states will be closed indefinitely, although some people will be allowed to obtain permits to cross.
Since the start of the global coronavirus outbreak, Australia has recorded 8,586 infections and 106 deaths, according to statistics from Johns Hopkins University.
