Australia's Victoria state expects to announce further easing of Covid-19 restrictions this week, acting Premier James Merlino has said, as the state reports one new locally acquired infection for a second straight day.

The latest infection is a close contact of a previously reported case and has already been quarantined, Victoria's health department has said, according to Reuters.

Australia's second-most-populous state has recorded 92 cases in its latest wave of Covid-19 infections, which triggered a two-week snap lockdown late last month. Victoria emerged from the lockdown on Friday as new cases declined, but some physical distancing rules remain.

Opinion

Editorial

Growth below target
15 May, 2026

Growth below target

Pakistan lacks the export-oriented industrial expansion that has driven sustained high growth in other economies.
Limited openings
15 May, 2026

Limited openings

FOR years, even the smallest suggestion of engagement with Pakistan would trigger outrage in India’s political...
Meetings denied
15 May, 2026

Meetings denied

FORMER prime minister Imran Khan and his wife, Bushra Bibi, continue to be held incommunicado inside Adiala Jail....
Trump in Beijing
Updated 14 May, 2026

Trump in Beijing

China is no longer just a rising economic power.
Growing numbers
14 May, 2026

Growing numbers

FORWARD-looking nations do not just celebrate their advantages; they turn them into tangible gains. They also ...
No culling
14 May, 2026

No culling

CRUELTY implies an administrative failure to adopt humane solutions. Despite the Lahore High Court’s orders to use...