It was the fifth day in a row with new infections above 1,000 as the country of 10.7 million sees a surge in cases that is among the fastest in the European Union.Latvia meanwhile reinstated a compulsory 14-day quarantine for arrivals from neighbouring Estonia due to an upsurge in cases there.The global death toll from the coronavirus has risen to 916,000 with 28.5 million infections, while France and the United Arab Emirates posted new milestones for daily infections yesterday.
The numbers confirm a steady downward trend from a peak of more than 700 cases in a single day in early August. "They are small steps, but that's what's safe, absolutely appropriate, with numbers still coming down, but too high to open up," Victoria Premier Daniel Andrews told a televised briefing. The government has lifted a ban on onsite dining after 9pm though still requires restaurants and cafes to restrict seating and record patrons' names and contact details.