Australia will seal the state of Victoria from July 7, isolating 6.6 million people, as the cases of coronavirus continue to surge in the state capital Melbourne. In the past two weeks, Melbourne has recorded most of the coronavirus infections, almost 95% of the Australia’s new cases. 

The border between Victoria and New South Wales (NSW) will be closed for the first time since the coronavirus pandemic, announced the Victorian State Premier Daniel Andrews on July 5, saying it was a joint decision by Prime Minister Scott Morrison and NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian.

To regulate the movement of people crossing the borders, military personnel and police will be in the line, CNN affiliate 7NEWS reported. “This is one of those precautionary measures – it is one of those things that I think will help us in broader terms contain the spread of the virus,” BBC quoted Andrews.

The release by NSW government stated that the travelers returning from Melbourne and Victoria will be required to go into 14 days of self-isolation, or will face heavy penalties and fines.

Victoria has been struggling to contain the second wave of coronavirus, giving rise to the fears of rise in COVID-19 across the country. The state has till now reported 2,663 infections, with 22 deaths. On July 5, 127 new infections were reported in the state, registering its highest one-day spike.

Australia has reported over 8,500 cases of coronavirus and almost 105 deaths till now, according to a tally Johns Hopkins University.