Millions under Australia lockdown as global cases hit 12 million

MELBOURNE: Millions of people in Australia's second-biggest city went into lockdown on Thursday to battle another coronavirus outbreak, as the number of infections worldwide surged past 12 million.

Caseloads and death tolls have risen relentlessly in many of the world's biggest nations, with three million confirmed cases in the United States alone.

In Melbourne, five million people began a new lockdown just weeks after earlier restrictions ended as Australia battles a Covid-19 resurgence, with residents bracing for the emotional and economic costs.

"The idea of not being able to see people that you love and care for is really distressing, really distressing," said a tearful Melbourne resident, Monica Marshall, whose 91-year-old mother recently entered a care home.

"I hope that people have got the message that they really need to take notice - it's very disconcerting watching some people on the news where they really don't care."

With no vaccine or effective treatment available, experts have warned that social distancing is necessary to contain the virus - despite opposition in many parts of the world due to economic costs and misinformation.

In Europe, where many nations have successfully suppressed their outbreaks, the French government said it remained on alert for a possible surge in cases too.

The global death toll from the virus is approaching 550,000, while about half of the 12 million reported cases have recovered.

Punishing lockdowns to try to prevent the spread of the disease have led to a catastrophic downturn in the world's economies.

The United States remains the worst-hit nation, with confirmed cases topping three million, but President Donald Trump remains keen for the economy to restart despite warnings about the dangers of reopening too soon.

He has even faced off with his own government's experts, lashing out at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for issuing school reopening guidelines that he complained were too restrictive.

Some of the world's most populous nations including India, Pakistan and Brazil are still reeling from their first outbreaks.

In the Middle East, hard-hit Iran reported a record single-day death toll of 221, taking its total to over 12,300. In other parts of the world, where there had been some success against the virus, citizens have chafed under renewed restrictions to counter fresh waves of disease.