Australian state reports 357 new cases, 5 deaths

Five more Victoria residents died from COVID-19 as the Australian state recorded 357 new cases in the past 24 hours. The deaths take Victoria state toll to 61 and the national figure to 145. Victoria recorded 300 new cases on Friday, down from 403 on Thursday.

Five more Victoria residents died from COVID-19 as the Australian state recorded 357 new cases in the past 24 hours. Victoria Premier Daniel Andrews refused to rule out further restrictions but said Saturday the mandatory wearing of masks was the current strategy to stop the spread.

Andrews says, "If they are worn by everybody, we may not need to go further. We can't rule out going further with rule changes, but it's a big game changer." There are now nearly 4,000 active cases in the state and of those, 313 are health care workers. The deaths take Victoria state toll to 61 and the national figure to 145. Victoria recorded 300 new cases on Friday, down from 403 on Thursday.