Australia's third most populous state narrowly avoids COVID-19 lockdown

Queensland, Australia's third most populous state, said on Sunday it does not need to order a lockdown after detecting zero COVID-19 infections in the past 24 hours.

The state on Saturday reported five cases of COVID-19, with state Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk warning that a lockdown could be needed to stop the spread of the virus.

However, it said testing had yet to detect any further cases, avoiding the need for such a measure.

"We're not out of the woods yet, but this is the best result we could have hoped for at this point in the outbreak," Queensland Deputy Premier Steven Miles told reporters in Brisbane.

The result is a boost for Australia's A$2 trillion ($1.5 trillion) economy, which is at risk of slipping into its second recession in as many years as a result of lockdowns of the country's two most populous states, Victoria and New South Wales.

Victoria recorded on Sunday 392 COVID-19 infections in the past 24 hours, down slightly from the 450 cases recorded in the state a day earlier.

The 450 cases were the biggest single-day rise in Victoria in more than a year. The recent surge in cases has led to lockdown restrictions in the state as authorities seek to curb the spread of infection.

Nationwide, new COVID-19 cases have been climbing upwards steadily since mid-July, taking the daily infections of double-digits to more than 1,800 lately.

New South Wales, the largest contributor to the nationwide surge, has recently lifted lockdowns in some of its regions after local authorities reported zero COVID-19 cases for 14 straight days.

(CGTN)