Australia Closes State Border for First Time in 100 years

Australia Closes State Border for First Time in 100 years

Victoria, Australia's most populous state, will be closed off from the rest of the country, and its 6.6 million residents along with it

Australia will effectively seal off the state of Victoria from the rest of the country, authorities said Monday, announcing unprecedented measures to tackle a worrying surge in coronavirus cases.

For the first time since the pandemic began, the border between Australia's two most populous states -- Victoria and New South Wales -- will be closed from midnight Tuesday, officials from both states said.

The decision announced on Monday marks the first time the border between Victoria and New South Wales has been shut in 100 years. Officials last blocked movement between the two states in 1919 during the Spanish flu pandemic.

Victoria -- home to more than 6.6 million people -- announced a record 127 new cases Monday, as the virus spread through Melbourne, including a cluster in several densely populated apartment blocks.

Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews described the decision to close off the state as "the smart call, the right call at this time, given the significant challenges we face in containing this virus"