Covid Victoria: State extends lockdown to curb outbreak

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The Australian state of Victoria will extend its lockdown by another week as authorities battle to control a growing virus outbreak.

Officials say people have been catching the virus from “fleeting” encounters in a Melbourne outbreak of the B.1.617.1 strain, now named the Gamma variant by the World Health Organization.

Australia’s second most-populous state will now be locked down until 10 June.

It’s the fourth shutdown endured by residents so far in the pandemic.

Six new local cases were reported