After a one-day respite, coronavirus patients in the Australian state of Victoria have increased again, prompting a move to make masks mandatory in metropolitan Melbourne and the nearby shire of Mitchell. Health officials on Sunday recorded 363 new patients in the past 24 hours. Two men and a woman in their 90s died, taking the national death toll from the virus to 122. By Wednesday, masks or face coverings will be mandatory for people who leave their homes for exercise or to purchase essential goods. Victoria Premier Daniel Andrews said up to 3 million face masks are on order by the state government and the first batch of 300,000 is due to arrive this week.

Source: The Standard July 19, 2020 07:52 UTC