Australia's Victoria state has reported the year's biggest one-day rise in Covid-19 cases as authorities plan to pause public transport and deploy thousands of police in Melbourne ahead of an anti-lockdown protest over the weekend, reports Reuters.
Public transport into the city will be shut from 8am to 2pm on Saturday, roads blocked and thousands of police officers deployed in Melbourne, the state capital, Victoria police said on Wednesday evening.
Offenders could be fined up to A$5,500 ($4,000) each.
A total of 514 new coronavirus infections have been detected in Victoria, the majority in Melbourne, exceeding the year's previous daily high of 473 on Monday.
