OREANDA-NEWS. In the second most populous city in Australia, Melbourne, 5-day restrictions may be imposed due to new cases of coronavirus infection. In a quarantined hotel in the city on Thursday, February 11, 13 new confirmed cases of SARS-CoV-2 were identified. The organizers of the Australian Tennis Championships, one of the four «Grand Slam» tournaments held in Melbourne, announced that, starting on February 13 and for the next five days, all matches will be held with empty stands.

According to the «Herald Sun» newspaper, citing a government source, a plan is being considered to introduce a strict lockdown, including a ban on leaving homes without an emergency. The coronavirus was detected in 28,887 Australian citizens. More than 900 people died from the effects of the infection.

Earlier it was reported, that there will be no line judges at the Australian Open 2021. For the first time in the «Grand Slam» tournaments, it was decided to abandon the line judges, they will be replaced with recorded voice commands. So, the records of the phrases «Out», «Foot foul», «Foul» will be used. An automatic system with tracking cameras will play audio recordings. At the same time, voice commands will be recorded by people who are fighting the coronavirus pandemic in Australia. The organizers decided to involve doctors, firefighters and rescuers in this work to pay tribute to them.