Australia's Victoria state said it had gone 24 hours without detecting any new Covid-19 cases, a milestone last achieved four months ago, raising hopes that a stringent lockdown of Melbourne will be eased.

Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews on Sunday delayed the reopening of the city — home to 5 million people — amid an outbreak in Melbourne's north, Reuters reported.

Officials said they had tested about 15,000 people in the area and all had come back negative.

“This is one of the best outcomes we could hope to see,” said Jeroen Weimar, Commander of Testing and Community Engagement for Victoria.

Andrews is under intense pressure to lift Melbourne's lockdown, imposed in July. Businesses and the federal government argue it will delay Australia's economic rebound.