Greater Sydney lockdown to be extended for another four weeks as Australia sees 177 new cases
Millions of Sydney residents will spend another month locked up, authorities said Wednesday, citing a steadily growing coronavirus epidemic and low vaccination rates.
Australia’s largest city was due to close the outlet after five weeks on July 30, but the restrictions remain in effect until August 28 as the number of cases continues to rise.
“I personally appreciate what we are asking people to do for the next four weeks, but that’s because we want to protect our community and make sure we recover as soon as possible,” said the Prime Minister of the State of New Wales. South, Gladys Berejiklian.
Authorities have announced 177 new cases related to the Sydney outbreak, which began in mid-June when a driver for an international flight crew contracted the virus.
People living in hotspots have been told not to leave their neighborhood, but those living alone are allowed to form a “single bubble” with another person. Berejiklian said police will step up enforcement efforts while pleading with Sydney residents to report other rule violations.
“We really need people who are doing the right thing all the time. Don’t let your guard down,” she said.
The announcement came as Melbourne woke towards the end of its fifth virus lockdown after defeating the Delta variant for the second time in recent months thanks to “determination and hard work,” according to Victoria’s state prime minister, Dan Andrews.
They were among the roughly eight million people in the states of Victoria and South Australia who left the lockdown overnight after local outbreaks of the highly contagious variant were contained.
Australia was praised for the initial success of a pandemic after closing its international borders and rushing to split the Covid-19 clusters. But with a largely unvaccinated population, the Delta variant has struggled to respond and has repeatedly banned cities.
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About 13% of Australians were vaccinated, with low levels of the Pfizer BioNTech vaccine and skepticism about the AstraZeneca vaccine.
The country has recorded more than 33,000 infections and 921 Covid-related deaths among a population of 25 million.
