Anti-racism protester among 8 new COVID-19 cases in Australia's State of Victoria

SYDNEY -- A protester who attended the weekend Black Lives Matter march in Melbourne, Australia was among eight new COVID-19 cases confirmed for the State of Victoria on Thursday.

Around 10,000 people attended the march in Melbourne, with similar demonstrations taking place in other major cities, sparking serious concern over the risk of a COVID-19 resurgence.

On Thursday, Victoria Health authorities said the protester may have been infectious while at the demonstration, and that they will test all close contacts and put them in a 14-day quarantine.

Victoria Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton said it was "unlikely" that the man in his 30s contracted the virus at the march, and that he had worn a face mask.

However, he urged anyone who developed symptoms after attending the protest to get tested.

"I hope that anyone who has attended that (protest), and indeed across Victoria, who develop symptoms that are compatible with coronavirus really need to isolate themselves, get tested, get that result back and become well before they get out and about again," Sutton said.

As of Thursday morning, there were 1,699 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Victoria, 57 of which were still active.