Sydney, Australia
Reuters
Australia reported a record number of daily coronavirus deaths on Monday, although the number of new infections in the country’s virus hot spot fell to a near two week low.
Officials in the state of Victoria, which is the epicentre of Australia’s second coronavirus wave, reported that 19 people died from the virus over the past 24 hours. With other states still to report daily new case and death numbers, that already marks the country’s biggest single day rise in fatalities.
People wearing protective face masks walk along a street in Melbourne after it became the first city in Australia to enforce mask-wearing in public as part of efforts to curb a resurgence of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), on 23rd July. PICTURE: Reuters/Sandra Sanders/File Photo.
In more positive news, Victoria officials also reported 322 new coronavirus cases in the last 24 hours, the lowest number of single day new infections since 29th July.
Australia has recorded about 21,000 COVID-19 cases, and 314 deaths.
Meanwhile, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison has extended his lead as the country’s most preferred leader, a poll showed on Monday, boosted by his government’s coronavirus wage subsidy scheme and efforts to contain the spread of the pandemic.
A Newspoll conducted for The Australian newspaper showed Morrison enjoyed the best approval rating over an opposition leader in more than five years.
Morrison’s popularity fell over his handling of bush fires late last year but he has improved his standing with his response to the pandemic, as the country battles a new wave of infections in Victoria state.
Morrison jettisoned his conservative government’s aversion to deficits to pledge spending worth about A$100 billion to employers to keep staff they might otherwise have let go.
The government last week eased rules to qualify for its wage subsidy scheme as a flare-up in infections in Victoria forced large parts of the economy to close.
Australia has fared better than many other developed nations during the pandemic, helped by strict lockdowns that are expected to push unemployment up towards 10 per cent.
Australia’s central bank downgraded its outlook for the national economy on Friday and warned unemployment would stay high for several years.
Morrison’s approval ratings remained at a high of 68 per cent against a two-point rise among those dissatisfied with his performance, the poll showed.
The poll was based on surveys of just over 1,500 voters across the capital city of Canberra and other regions from Wednesday to Saturday.
