The Australian government confirmed Monday that it would be closing the border between the eastern states of Victoria and New South Wales as Melbourne, the second-biggest city in Australia, grapples with a major coronavirus outbreak. The closure will go into effect Tuesday at 11:59 p.m. local time and will seal off the state’s 6.6 million people for the first time since the pandemic started.

The border will be patrolled by members of the Australian army and police officers. Only holders of a special permit will be permitted to cross over.

“This is one of those precautionary measures,” Victoria Premier Daniel Andrews said when announcing the closure. “It is one of those things that I think will help us in broader terms contain the spread of the virus.”

Australian leaders had previously dismissed the need for state border closures, insisting that most of the nation’s cases came from overseas travelers that were put into quarantine upon arrival. Now, it has been found that over 80% of new cases are being spread within communities, necessitating bigger action.

“This is unprecedented in Australia,” New South Wales Premier Gladys Berejiklian said. “We have not seen anything like this.”

Within the hard-hit city of Melbourne, reports have emerged about the coronavirus spreading amongst contracted workers failing to follow health protocols at a hotel holding quarantined international travelers. This misconduct even included having sex with quarantined individuals, according to one report.

Johns Hopkins University reports that Australia has been impacted much less than most other countries, with only 8,586 confirmed cases and 106 reported deaths. Victoria has seen 2,660 cases while New South Wales has seen nearly 3,500.

Australian authorities are rushing to contain a worsening coronavirus outbreak in Victoria state
Australian authorities are rushing to contain a worsening coronavirus outbreak in Victoria state AFP / William WEST
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