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Victoria Records 428 New COVID-19 Cases And 3 Deaths; New Restrictions Added In NSW

"A number of people will die," Victoria's Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton said.
A woman queues outside a COVID-19 coronavirus testing venue Thursday at The Royal Melbourne Hospital in Melbourne.
WILLIAM WEST/AFP via Getty Images
A woman queues outside a COVID-19 coronavirus testing venue Thursday at The Royal Melbourne Hospital in Melbourne.

Victoria has recorded 428 new COVID-19 cases and three more deaths in the 24 hours up to 11am Friday, Premier Daniel Andrews confirmed.

The surge is the state’s largest daily increase since the pandemic began.

There are 122 people in Victorian hospitals and 31 in intensive care.

There will be dozens of individuals who will require hospitalisation from these 428 people,” Victoria’s Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton told reporters on Friday.

“Tragically there will be several who require intensive care support and a number of people will die.”

Andrews said the state death toll now stands at 32.

“The details of those individuals is one gentleman in his 80s, one gentleman in his 70s, and a woman in her 80s,” he said of the three new fatalities.

“I can offer no further information about those three tragedies.”

The state has been isolated from the rest of the country for more than a week following a fresh outbreak of the disease. The 4.9 million residents in the state capital, Melbourne, have been ordered to stay home except for essential business.

Australia has been heralded as a global leader in containing COVID-19, its total death toll lower than what the US state of Florida reported on Tuesday (132). Even so, it has seen a surge in new cases, culminating with 10 days of triple-digit gains as of Wednesday.

Australia has so far recorded about 11,043 infections and 113 deaths.

Meanwhile, tough new restrictions in New South Wales will limit indoor venue bookings to 10 people and cap wedding guest lists to 150, authorities announced Friday.

NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian said the four-square-metre rule will be enforced in venues, depending on the size of the establishment.

“It doesn’t matter where you live in New South Wales, the threat is there,” Berejiklian said at a press conference Friday.

“We are not different from other parts of the world, we are not different from what is happening in Victoria, we are in the middle of a global pandemic.

“Things won’t go back to normal until there’s a vaccine.”

NSW Health recorded eight new cases in the 24 hours leading up to 11am Friday. There is one person in the ICU with 42 cases now linked to a COVID-19 cluster at the Crossroads Hotel in southwestern Sydney.

Here are the new rules for NSW:

No more than 20 people to visit households, including parties.

Pub restrictions extend to all indoor hospitality venues.

No group bookings of more than 10 people in indoor venues.

Weddings and corporate events are allowed 150 people who must be seated at all times.

Funerals are allowed 100 people.

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