SYDNEY (Reuters) – Australia’s coronavirus hotspot Victoria state said on Friday its death toll from the virus rose by 59 and there were 81 new cases.

The death tally includes 50 people in aged-care facilities who died in July and August, the state health department said in a tweet. Victoria, Australia’s second-most populous state, reported 15 deaths and 113 cases a day earlier.

The state capital, Melbourne, is nearing the end of a six-week lockdown put in place to slow the spread of the virus but authorities said restrictions may continue beyond the planned end date after daily cases rose on Thursday.

(Reporting by Renju Jose; Editing by Muralikumar Anantharaman)

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