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CANBERRA: Australia has not recorded any new locally transmitted coronavirus infection for the first time in five months.
In Melbourne, the capital of the state of Victoria, which had the highest number of cases in the country, residents enjoyed the first weekend of cafes, restaurants and pubs that reopened to customers without an appointment.
The city only has one mystery case with no known source. There are 61 active cases statewide, up from 70 on Saturday.
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Deputy Prime Minister James Merlino hailed Sunday’s zero figures as “another great day for Victoria” but called for caution ahead of Australia’s most prestigious horse race on Tuesday, the Melbourne Cup, known as the “race that stops a nation”.
Australians traditionally gather in bars or private homes to watch the event, a public holiday.
The race draws more than 100,000 people at Melbourne’s Flemington Racecourse, but this year it will be run without fans due to restrictions on public gatherings.
Health Director Brett Sutton urged Victorians to enjoy the Cup, but to continue to obey instructions on wearing masks and social distancing.
People wearing masks walk past a ‘COVID-19 Free’ sign in Melbourne after coronavirus disease (COVID-19) restrictions were eased in the state of Victoria, Australia, on October 28, 2020 (REUTERS / Sandra Sanders).
“The vast majority of Melburnians know what to do,” Sutton said. “There will be some who may be a bit liberal in their behavior.”
Sutton said the new wave of infections in Europe showed how quickly the coronavirus can reassert itself.
“What Europe is going through now is a consequence of not being able to get to this point where it can keep up with very low numbers,” he said. “What we have created is very valuable and we must hold fast to it.”
The state of Western Australia registered a new case of COVID-19 on Sunday, a woman who returned from abroad and is in hotel quarantine.
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