Australia has reported a record 15 deaths from Covid-19, all in Victoria state, which was preparing to close much of its economy to control a second wave of infection that threatens to spread across the country.
The second-most populous state in Australia reported a record rise of 725 new Covid-19 cases despite having reimposed a lockdown on Melbourne, the state capital with a population of five million people, four weeks ago.
New South Wales and Queensland states introduced new measures to limit the spread of the new coronavirus, which has claimed 247 lives across the country.