Australia's Victoria sets record for new COVID-19 cases second day in a row

FILE PHOTO: A sanitation worker cleans a bench outside the single remaining public housing tower under a lockdown in response to an outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in Melbourne, Australia July 10, 2020. REUTERS/Sandra Sanders/File Photo

Australia's second-most populous state of Victoria on Friday reported a record increase in daily new coronavirus cases for the second straight day.

Victoria recorded 428 new daily infections, Premier Daniel Andrews said, a day after logging its previous high of 317 new cases. It also reported three new deaths.

The state has been isolated from the rest of the country for more than a week following a fresh outbreak of the disease. The 4.9 million residents in state capital Melbourne have been ordered to stay home except for essential business.

(Reporting by Renju Jose; Editing by Tom Hogue)