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COVID-19: Australian police arrests many at anti-lockdown rallies

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COVID-19: Australian police arrests many at anti-lockdown rallies

Scores of anti-lockdown demonstrators have been arrested in Melbourne, Australia, with Victoria State being the hardest-hit as police nabbed many among a crowd of about 300 people, as the country’s death toll rose to 748.

Reports say police had earlier urged people to adhere to restrictions on community movement. But four men were arrested and charged with incitement over the so-called “Freedom Day” protests planned for several Melbourne locations.

Police, many of them on horseback, later made a number of arrests among protesters on Friday, some of them for not wearing masks. Victoria reported 11 more deaths and 76 new infections.

READ ALSO: Africa will get 220m covid-19 vaccine doses once approved –WHO

The Melbourne restrictions, including a night curfew, were put in place in an attempt to reduce a huge spike in infections and deaths.

Meanwhile, Iraq’s health ministry warned on Friday that hospitals may “lose control” in the coming days after the country recorded its highest single-day rise in coronavirus cases since the start of the pandemic.

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