Thirteen more people have died from COVID-19 on Australia’s deadliest day during the pandemic.
Victoria has broken its own record for new cases with 723 recorded across the state on July 30.
Face masks will be mandatory statewide from Sunday and people across six coastal and regional council areas will be banned from visiting each other at home.
Aged care continues to be Victoria’s disaster area, with up to 10 of the 13 latest victims linked to nursing homes.
The national death toll is 189.
Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews urged everyone to follow rules aimed at stopping deadly transmission.
“Every time somebody doesn’t do the right thing, every time somebody contributes to the spread of the virus, then that means that another family will be having to plan a funeral,” he told reporters.
“This is a wicked enemy, a silent enemy, it’s an enemy you can’t see.”
The first of five Australian Medical Assistance Teams, usually tasked with disaster relief in critical health situations, are en route to Victoria.
They will join more than 1400 Australian Defence Force personnel already on the ground in the state.
NSW recorded 18 new cases, with just two coming from returned travellers in hotel quarantine.
Queensland is bracing for an outbreak of community transmission after two teenagers with coronavirus dodged quarantine.
A major contact tracing investigation has been launched after the two 19-year-olds roamed free before testing positive for the disease.
Former chief medical officer Brendan Murphy, now secretary of the federal Department of Health, said more elderly people will die from the virus.
“There will be more deaths with the number of aged-care recipients that are infected,” Murphy said.
“We know that it is a certainty. We will see deaths every day - and that is a tragedy.
