High rise virus fears

The Australian city of Melbourne has confined people living in nine housing estate tower blocks because of an outbreak of coronavirus.

The 3,000 or so residents of the blocks are being told not to leave their homes for any reason at all for at least five days.

At least 23 cases of infection were found on two estates in recent days. “We are extremely concerned that there are many hundreds of people in these towers who have already been exposed to the cases that we’ve found and possibly to cases that exist and that we haven’t found,” said health officer Annaliese van Diemen.