Australia to lock down 300,000 in Melbourne suburbs after coronavirus spike.

Authorities will lock down around 300,000 people in suburbs north of Melbourne for a month from late on Wednesday to contain the risk of infection after two weeks of double-digit rises in new coronavirus cases in Australia's second most populous state.

Australia has fared better than many countries in the pandemic, with around 7,830 cases and 104 deaths, but the recent surge has stoked fears of a second wave of Covid-19, echoing concerns expressed in other countries.

From midnight, more than 30 suburbs in Australia's second-biggest city will return to stage three restrictions, the...