Locked-down Melbourne tightens security for anti-vaccine protests

Police fanned out on Wednesday across the centre of Australia's second-largest city of Melbourne, to keep a lid on a third successive day of protests over Covid-19 lockdown curbs, as the state of Victoria saw another rise in infections.

More than 60 people were arrested on Tuesday, after more than 2,000 protesters damaged property, blocked a busy freeway and injured three police, following a two-week closure of construction sites to limit the spread of the disease.

Groups of protesters roamed the streets and gathered at a city landmark on Wednesday despite pleas to remain home, but most avoided clashes with busloads of police, while state police chief Shane Patton vowed to prevent more violence.

Police asked the aviation authority to declare a no-fly zone above Melbourne, the state capital, for operational and safety reasons, said police media official Belinda Batty.

"This is a very dynamic situation," she told Reuters, but declined to reveal the number of arrests.

By late afternoon, television images showed a large group of police had dispersed several hundred protesters gathered at the Shrine of Remembrance, which honours war service.

In the clip, groups of two or three police took protesters away from the structure, one at a time, before appearing to note their details on a lawn nearby.

The protests followed a decision by authorities to make vaccines mandatory for construction workers and to enforce the closure of building sites from Tuesday, citing non-compliance with health rules.