Australia’s youngest coronavirus victim, a man in his 30s, has died in Victoria as the COVID-plagued state recorded its worst day, with 725 new cases and 15 deaths.
The previous peak in new cases was 723 recorded on Thursday last week.
The man in his 30s was not a healthcare worker.
“It shouldn’t have to get to a tragedy for people to acknowledge that this is a virus that affects everyone,” Premier Daniel Andrews said on Wednesday.
“We’re terribly saddened by this but hopefully no one misses the point that this is something that’s not just of those who are frail and aged.”
Wednesday’s figures bring the state’s death toll from the virus to 162 and the national figure to 247.
Of the 15 deaths, 12 are linked to outbreaks at aged care facilities.
The state’s previous record was 723 new cases on July 30, though daily case numbers have consistently been in triple digits for a month.
The second wave of the virus prompted Mr Andrews to declare a state of disaster and impose stage four restrictions on Melbourne, including a curfew.
From Thursday, all essential workers in the city will be required to show a permit if pulled over by police to prove they are allowed to leave their homes.
Some workers, such as nurses and police officers, can use their official identification while others have to apply for the permit online, which must be signed by themselves and their employer.
Businesses caught issuing permits to workers who do not meet the requirements face fines of up to $99,123, while individuals can be fined up to $19,826.
Only essential workers will be allowed to send their children to child care, with the federal government confirming it will chip in to pay subsidies so children can be kept at home without losing their place.
The state government on Wednesday announced a permit for those workers who need to access child care and there will be no grace period for parents to get their heads around the system.
“There will be many, many families who will not be able to access child care as they normally would and that is essential to driving down movement, it is essential to driving down these numbers,” Mr Andrews said.
Advice on people going to the home to provide care would be provided later on Wednesday, Mr Andrews said.
The government also announced a winding back of non-urgent surgery in regional Victoria, which has gone into stage three lockdown, to cope with coronavirus cases.
Elective surgeries had already been cut back in the Melbourne lockdown area to create capacity for aged care residents.
More than 300 residents had so far been moved out of aged care facilities to hospitals, Health Minister Jenny Mikakos said.