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Australian police broke up a violent protest in Melbourne this week.
Mandate
Hundreds were protesting a Victoria state mandate that building industry workers must be vaccinated against COVID-19. Officials said such business may not operate until they prove they have obeyed the order. Since June, more than 255 people have died in the state’s latest COVID outbreak.
A mandate is an official order or rule that must be followed. A mandate is also the power to act that voters give to their elected officials.
*This article has been edited and reprinted from VOA Learning English with permission from Voice of America (VOA) for use in English language materials.