Australia’s Victoria state will implement mandatory coronavirus tests for returning travellers after a sharp spike in infections over the past two weeks, the state’s premier has said.

The country’s second-most populous state has 49 new cases, its highest in more than two months and the 12th consecutive day of double-digit rises. The rest of Australia has seen almost no infections.

“Much like a bushfire, putting this out is challenging,” Victoria Premier Daniel Andrews told a press conference, according to Reuters. “Containing it, though, is something that we can do, and test and trace is the most effective thing to do.”

Opinion

Editorial

Larijani’s killing
Updated 19 Mar, 2026

Larijani’s killing

The late Larijani was one of the most powerful men in Iran — a thinker and a soldier.
War’s hunger toll
19 Mar, 2026

War’s hunger toll

THE conflict between the US, Israel and Iran continues to widen with far-reaching repercussions.The UN’s World ...
Let them in
Updated 19 Mar, 2026

Let them in

THE government need not be so difficult. Former prime minister Imran Khan’s sons, Kasim and Sulaiman, have not ...
Exit strategy
Updated 18 Mar, 2026

Exit strategy

MOST members of the international community, particularly states in the greater Middle East, are gravely concerned...
Unsafe trains
18 Mar, 2026

Unsafe trains

SUNDAY’S accident involving the Shalimar Express has once again brought into sharp focus the deep structural and...
Disappointment in Dhaka
18 Mar, 2026

Disappointment in Dhaka

FOR a side looking for lift-off after a disappointing T20 World Cup, it was despair for Shaheen Shah Afridi’s ...