Australian authorities extended the lockdown in Sydney for at least 14 days on Wednesday, after initial restrictions in the previous three weeks failed to stop the outbreak Coronavirus disease The largest city in the country.
New South Wales Governor Gladys Berejiklian (Gladys Berejiklian) said that after she reported 97 new locally transmitted cases, the restrictions will continue until at least July 30, a slight increase from the previous day.
Australia locks down the second most populous state due to the “highly contagious” COVID-19 outbreak
“It is always hurtful to say that, but we need to extend the lockdown for at least another two weeks,” Berejiklian said in Sydney on Wednesday.
“We hope to get rid of this blockade as soon as possible. That’s why we have the existing settings.”
Of the 97 new cases, 24 were infectious in the community.
Berejiklian has repeatedly stated that the lockdown implemented since June 26 will only spread in the community and the number of newly reported cases of infectiousness will be lifted close to zero.
The seaport city of 5 million inhabitants fell into an initial two-week lockdown in late June as the highly contagious delta variant began to take root in a country that has largely avoided large-scale infections.
Many non-essential businesses are closed, most students stay at home, and residents are only allowed to go out for necessary activities and exercises.
Due to the outbreak in Sydney, 71 COVID-19 patients are now hospitalized, 20 of whom are in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU), one in their 20s and two in their 30s.
The Chief Health Officer of New South Wales said: “Yes, this is unlikely to cause hospitalization for young people, but it may still cause serious illness in the ICU, so it is important to protect yourself and your loved ones, so please follow public health advice.” Kerry Shant said.
After restrictions failed to contain the number of daily cases, the downtime has now been extended twice. Since the first case of infection was first detected in the eastern suburbs of the city in mid-June, the total number of infections is now slightly less than 900. According to reports, two people have died, this is the country’s first case this year.
According to a list of potential exposure sites released by health authorities overnight, the virus appears to have spread to previously unaffected parts of the city. The epidemic has also spread to remote areas. A case was found in Goulburn, about 200 kilometers (125 miles) southwest of Sydney, and has crossed the border to Victoria. Three cases were reported on Tuesday.
The epidemic has begun to put pressure on health services. As new health orders require people who leave the suburbs to work regularly to be tested, the COVID-19 testing queue in Fairfield, southwest of Sydney, stretched several kilometers overnight.
Rapid lockdown, rapid contact tracing, and strict social distancing rules have helped Australia keep the number of COVID-19 below those of many other developed countries, with just over 31,300 cases and 912 deaths.
The slow vaccination schedule means that less than 10% of the population has received two doses of the vaccine.
Authorities said on Wednesday that in New South Wales, health workers had received more than 2.7 million doses of the vaccine.
