Australia closes state border for first time in 100 years after COVID-19 spike

FILE PHOTO: People sit on a bench overlooking the Sydney Opera House and Sydney Harbour Bridge amidst the easing of the restrictions implemented to curb the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Sydney, Australia June 29, 2020. REUTERS/Loren Elliott

SYDNEY (Reuters) - The border between Australia's two most populous states will close from Tuesday for an indefinite period as authorities scramble to contain an outbreak of the coronavirus in the city of Melbourne.

The decision announced on Monday marks the first time the border between Victoria and New South Wales has been shut in 100 years. Officials last blocked movement between the two states in 1919 during the Spanish flu pandemic.