Australia will effectively seal off the state of Victoria from the rest of the country, authorities said today, announcing unprecedented measures to tackle a worrying surge in coronavirus cases.
For the first time since the pandemic began, the border between Australia's two most populous states - Victoria and New South Wales - will be closed from midnight tomorrow, officials from both states said.
Victoria - home to more than 6.6 million people - announced a record 127 new cases today, as the virus spread through Melbourne, including a cluster in several densely populated apartment blocks.
Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews described the decision to close off the state as "the smart call, the right call at this time, given the significant