Military personnel will be deployed to enforce Covid-19 isolation orders in Victoria, Australia's second-most populous state.

According to Reuters, 500 military personnel will be deployed to Victoria this week to bolster enforcement of self-isolation orders.

Recent surge of cases in Victoria

These tougher measures were implemented after nearly a third of Covid-19 patients in Victoria were found not to be isolating at home, when checked on by officials.

Victoria had already imposed a night curfew earlier this week, and tightened restrictions on people's daily movements.

The curfew, which would last six weeks in the city of Melbourne, will only allow people to leave their homes for necessary goods and services, medical care, compassionate reasons, exercise, work and education.

Those who are caught breaking curfew can be fined A$1652 (S$1622), or taken to court.

This was implemented shortly after Australia reported 723 new Covid-19 cases in a day in Victoria state on July 30, which was its worst day ever in terms of new infections.

Many did not adhere to movement restrictions

SBS Australia reported that any individual who is caught in breach of Stay-Home Notice(SHN) orders will be fined nearly A$5,000 (S$4,900).

Repeat offenders will face a fine of up to A$20,000 (S$19,600).

According to Victoria's Minister for Police Lisa Neville, the recent surge in cases have been largely driven by residents who did not adhere to the Covid-19 movement restrictions.

"There are a number of people who have knowingly breached the curfew - so somebody who decided they were bored and they were going to go out for a drive, somebody who decided they needed to buy a car after 8pm last night," she said.

The Guardian reported earlier this week that workers in Victoria will be offered A$1,500 (S$1,470) for those without sick leave, in order to prevent those with a positive Covid-19 diagnosis from choosing to continue to work.

While unions welcomed the move, they said that it did not address the "full scale" of the crisis in Victoria, as full-time workers who are forced to rely on the payment during their isolation will have to take a pay cut.

Top image via Unsplash.