MELBOURNE (Reuters) - Australia's Victoria reported 29 new locally acquired coronavirus cases on Saturday, the highest daily jump this year, as the state remains under a seven-day strict lockdown imposed earlier this week to reign the highly infectious Delta variant.

       Health authorities said that all of the new infections are linked to previously reported cases but were not in quarantine during their infectious periods.

       Victoria, Australia's second most populous state and home to near 7 million people, on Thursday night entered into its sixth lockdown since the pandemic began, just weeks after exiting the last one.

       (Reporting by Lidia Kelly; Editing by Sandra Maler)