Health officials grappling with a spike in coronavirus cases in Australia are blaming a failure to follow strict quarantine guidelines imposed by the government.
Speaking Wednesday, Daniel Andrews, the premier of Victoria, an Australian state, urged residents to heed restrictions put in place to safeguard people from catching the disease.
Recommended Stories
“Unless we have people who get tested staying at home and isolating until they get their results, then we will not see these numbers come down,” Andrews said.
Brett Sutton, the chief health officer of Victoria, warned on Wednesday that cases could rise to as many as 600 per day if steps are not taken to mitigate the spread.
The city of Melbourne in the state of Victoria has been hit especially hard by a spike in the disease, and health officials throughout the region have said a failure to quarantine returning travelers properly from abroad has contributed to the spread of the virus.
“They have gone out shopping,” Andrews added. “They have gone to work. They have been at the height of their infectivity, and they have just continued on as usual.”
More than 5 million residents in Melbourne have been forced back into mandatory quarantine for a six-week period following a severe outbreak in the major coastal city.
