Australia outbreak slows, New Zealand cases grow

Sydney: The Coronavirus outbreak centered in Australia's second-largest city showed a decline in new infections Thursday, though the state's leader urged continued vigilance.

Victoria state Premier Daniel Andrews said there were 278 new infections and eight new deaths, down from around 700 daily at the peak of the outbreak.

Daniels said the lower numbers indicate the lockdown restrictions in Melbourne are working but urged people to stay the course. We would just caution against any Victorian thinking that we aren't in the midst of a real marathon, Daniels said. This is an endurance race, and we need to stay the course on this. We need to be as vigilant each and every day. Meanwhile, neighboring New South Wales state, which includes Australia's largest city Sydney, recorded 12 new cases and one death.

In other developments in the Asia-Pacific region: - South Korea has reported 56 new cases of the Coronavirus as new infection clusters continue to pop up across major cities.

The figures announced by South Korea's Centers for Disease Control and Prevention brought the caseload to 14,770 infections, including 305 deaths. Forty-three of the new cases were reported from the Seoul area, while two came from Busan, the country's second-largest city where infections have been reported at schools and among foreign cargo ship workers.