Victoria enters sixth pandemic lockdown as Australia widens restrictions

SYDNEY - More than half of all Australians woke up to hard lockdowns on Friday as the country battles to contain COVID-19 outbreaks fuelled by the Delta virus variant, with Victoria reporting a slight easing in locally acquired cases.

Lockdowns have been enforced across the east coast, including Australia's three largest cities - Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane - putting more than 60% of the country's 25 million population under strict stay-home orders. Victoria, home to nearly 7 million people, was plunged into its sixth lockdown since the pandemic began on Thursday night, just weeks after exiting its last, jolting residents and triggering an anti-lockdown rally in state capital Melbourne.