Australia Widens Virus Testing as Death Toll Rises

People follow a social distancing at a bus stop, as New South Wales begins shutting down non-essential businesses and moving toward harsh penalties to enforce self-isolation to avoid the spread of COVID-19, in Sydney, Australia, on March 25, 2020. Reuters/Loren Elliott

SYDNEY—Australia will expand CCP virus testing, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said on Wednesday, as Canberra struggles to contain an outbreak that it said has killed nine people in the country.

After a gradual spread in January, the number of cases in Australia appears to be tracking sharper spikes seen elsewhere, prompting warnings that hospitals could be overwhelmed.