Australian states on Tuesday tightened restrictions on movement as authorities struggle to contain a fresh outbreak of COVID-19 in the country's southeast that has pushed the national tally of cases beyond 10,000. I hope to see that this week, but there are no guarantees," Brett Sutton, Victoria's Chief Medical Officer told reporters in Melbourne. Australia avoided the high COVID-19 casualty numbers of other nations with swift and strict measures, but a spike in community-transmitted cases in Victoria and a rise in new cases in New South Wales has worried other states. South Australia cancelled plans to reopen its border to New South Wales on July 20, while Queensland introduced a mandatory two-week quarantine for people who have visited two areas in Sydney's western suburbs. "Our primary responsibility in South Australia is to the health, safety and welfare of all South Australians," Premier Steven Marshall told reporters in Adelaide.

Source: CBC News July 14, 2020 06:56 UTC