Coronavirus cases in Australia cross 9,000

By Riyaz ul Khaliq

ANKARA (AA) - The number of coronavirus cases in Australia crossed 9,000 on Thursday.

Authorities recorded 179 more infections over the past 24 hours, raising the overall count to 9,059, including 106 deaths, local daily Sydney Morning Herald reported.

Most of the new COVID-19 cases -- 165 -- were reported in the southern state of Victoria, where stringent restrictions, including a six-week lockdown in Australia’s second largest city Melbourne, have recently been imposed.

The border between Victoria and New South Wales, two of Australia’s most populous states, was also closed earlier this week.

Residents of Victoria, which now has 3,098 confirmed virus cases, are barred from entering other provinces unless approved by authorities.

Meanwhile, a woman was fined in Sydney for not completing a mandatory quarantine period after returning from overseas.

She tried to catch a plane on Thursday morning, according to reports.