Australia: Masks to be mandatory in Melbourne amid virus

After a one-day respite, COVID-19 cases in the Australian state of Victoria have risen again, prompting a move to make masks mandatory in metropolitan Melbourne and the nearby shire of Mitchell.

Health officials on Sunday recorded 363 new cases in the past 24 hours.

Two men and a woman in their 90s died, taking the national death toll from COVID-19 to 122.

On Saturday, Victoria's new cases fell to 217 from a record high of 428 the previous day.

Masks or face coverings will be mandatory for people who leave their homes for exercise or to purchase essential goods from Wednesday.

Victoria Premier Daniel Andrews said up to three million face masks are on order by the state government and the first batch of 300,000 is due to arrive this week.