Authorities in the Australian state of New South Wales have extended the lockdown in Sydney for a week. Residents of the metropolis, home to about a fifth of Australia’s population, need a valid reason to leave their homes.
The measures were supposed to expire next Friday but will now remain in force until July 16. Since the end of June, the city has been locked, and it is hoped that this will stop the spread of the Delta variant.
The first Delta contamination in Sydney was revealed to a limousine driver about three weeks ago. He had transported employees of an airline. The authorities have since identified more than 350 corona cases.
“This Delta variant is a game-changer,” said state Prime Minister Gladys Berejiklian. “Delta is more contagious than any other form of the virus we’ve seen so far.”
Australia managed to keep the coronavirus largely out of the door last year. The country of 25 million has so far reported more than 30,000 infections and 910 deaths, much less than many European countries, for example.
Meanwhile, Australian authorities are increasingly forced to impose local lockdowns due to Delta outbreaks. Another factor is that vaccination in Australia is difficult. Less than 10 percent of the population is fully vaccinated.
