Melbourne, parts of Victoria begin second lockdown

The entire Australian city of Melbourne and its surrounding area saw a return of lockdown measures on Thursday following a recent surge of coronavirus cases.

About five million people living in the country's second-largest city were buckling down with more extreme and divisive measures for the next six weeks.

Cafe owner Tony Roussos told the Australian Broadcasting Corp that the new lockdown was "devastating."

Breaches of infection controls at Melbourne hotels where international travelers are required to isolate for 14 days have been blamed for much of the disease spread.

The Victoria state government last week responded by banning new arrivals at Melbourne Airport for two weeks.

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison warned the rest of the country against lapses in social distancing measures.

Several states and territories have closed their borders to Victoria state, and police and Australian Defence Force personnel have been deployed to checkpoints to monitor motorists at border crossings.