The Sydney Opera House is seen following the easing of restrictions implemented to curb the spread of the COVID-19 in Sydney, Australia, June 23, 2020. (Photo: Agencies)
Australia's military was called in Wednesday to help tackle a coronavirus outbreak in Melbourne, a surge in infections that has rattled the country's second-most populous city.
Australia's second most populous state, Victoria, has recorded double-digit increases in new daily cases for more than a week, mostly in the state capital Melbourne.
The new clusters have emerged at Melbourne's Stamford Plaza Hotel, which is being used to quarantine citizens returning from overseas, an H&M clothing store in the city's north, and within extended families in a couple of suburbs.
Victoria on Sunday extended its state of emergency for four more weeks to July 19 to battle a sizeable spike in cases in a country that has otherwise successfully curbed COVID-19.
Australia's Health Minister Greg Hunt said the federal government had offered the army's support to respond to the virus outbreak, while four other states had offered help with contact tracing.
Officials said Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews has accepted the offers of assistance from the states and asked for logistical support from the army.
"This support will mean we can get even more tests done and results back quickly and a stronger effort to remind Victorians if you are sick, stay home and get tested," a state government spokesperson said.
It comes as the country recorded its first COVID-19 death in a month, a man in his 80s died in Victoria, where community concern about the virus spread is ramping up.
Major supermarkets in the state also reimposed buying limits on toilet paper and other essentials on Wednesday after an increase in demand sparked fears of a return of panic-buying.
The surge in Victoria has alarmed other states, which have had few, if any, new cases for several weeks. Queensland and Western Australia, which shut their borders in March and April respectively, said they would weigh Victoria's situation before reopening.
"For the time being we are an island sanctuary," Hunt told ABC radio on Tuesday.
He said the new coronavirus infection rates were accelerating around the world, and Australia's borders would remain closed for "a very significant" amount of time.
Despite Victoria's surge, health officials see no need to require face masks. They would have limited value in a country where absolute numbers of transmission remain "very low", said Australia's deputy chief medical officer, Nick Coatsworth.
Avoiding hugging and kissing was "arguably far more important than, say, wearing masks", he said.
Australia has been an international success story to date, recording roughly 7,500 cases of coronavirus and 103 deaths in a population of 25 million.
Several regions are believed to be effectively virus free, with fewer than 200 known active cases across the country.
About three-quarters of those are in Victoria, which had curbed the virus through early restrictions on travel and gatherings. These measures were being gradually rolled back until this week.