Australia suffers 'disturbing' COVID-19 surge, state curbs wedding parties

FILE PHOTO: People walk in the city centre on the first day of New South Wales' further eased coronavirus disease (COVID-19) restrictions in Sydney, Australia, July 1, 2020. Picture taken through a glass window. REUTERS/Loren Elliott

SYDNEY (Reuters) - Australia's Victoria state reported a record daily increase in COVID-19 cases on Friday while neighbouring New South Wales said it was banning dancing, singing and mingling at weddings as authorities struggle to contain a new wave of infections.

Victoria, which has forced nearly 5 million people in the country's second most populous state into a partial lockdown for more than a week, said it has found 428 new COVID-19 cases in the last 24 hours, most from community transmission.