The number of coronaviruses in Australia and New Zealand is increasing

A sort ofAustralia and New Zealand have very few cases and have long been the main examples of successful containment of the virus. However, due to their relatively low vaccination rates, the spread of delta variants, and increasingly stringent lockdowns, the previous success of the corona strategy there is fading. For example, people are increasingly dissatisfied with the lack of access to vaccines and frustrated with the strict restrictions now imposed in Sydney, the largest city. Except for Melbourne, there is now a curfew in other parts of Victoria. In Sydney, the lockdown period was extended to September, and some suburbs also imposed curfews.

Protests broke out in several cities in Australia over the weekend, some of which were fierce. In Melbourne, more than 200 people were arrested and 7 policemen were injured after clashes with the police on Saturday. At the same time, the country recorded 914 new cases, the highest number of new infections since the pandemic began. In New Zealand, the government admitted on Sunday that the zero-coronavirus strategy that was once successful during the Delta era only worked to a limited extent. Chris Hipkins, the Minister of New Zealand Broadcasting Corporation TVNZ in charge of fighting the new crown virus, said New Zealand was surprised by the rapid spread of this virus variant. “This means that our existing protection measures seem to be insufficient and robust,” Hipkins said. The minister said that this caused “some big problems.”

“Because the government is wandering”

Opposition leader Judith Collins also blamed the government for the slow progress of the vaccination campaign. Collins said: “We are in lockdown because the government has been wandering to protect New Zealanders.” In New Zealand, 20% of the population is fully vaccinated. After a corona case was detected for the first time in six months, the country reentered the lockdown on Tuesday. In the process of the latest wave, 72 infections have been detected. In Australia and New Zealand, the current problems are mainly attributed to the Delta variant, which cannot be compared with the problems that had to be dealt with before. Therefore, both countries are working hard to speed up the vaccination campaign.

In Australia, the Prime Minister is Scott Morrison However, on Sunday, the containment policy was again strict. “It’s always the darkest before sunrise. These severe blockades can cause huge losses. Unfortunately, they are temporarily necessary,” Morris said. But he combined the statement with a message that should give people hope and inspire people to get vaccinated. According to a “national plan” between Canberra and local governments, when at least 70% of Australians are vaccinated twice, strict lockdown should be a thing of the past. If interest rates reach 80%, there should be further easing. However, the government has not yet explained the specific steps.

At about 24%, Australia is still a long way from achieving its goals. However, with the increase in vaccination rates, some people rethink “Down Under”. The Prime Minister said in an interview that he thinks it is unlikely that Australia will reduce the number of infections to zero again. However, the number of new infections per day that locals and countries focused on prior to the concept of a pandemic seems to be a worse and worse indicator. Morrison said: “Although our national strategy now necessarily revolves around suppressing the virus and vaccinating as many people as possible, looking at these numbers one-sidedly ignores the fact that fewer and fewer people are seriously ill or even die. “