- The Australian capital Canberra was ordered to undergo a 7-day lockdown after a Covid-19 case was found in the city on Thursday.
- The authorities also called on residents to avoid panic buying, because shortly after the announcement, stores began to be crowded with shoppers who did not wear masks.
- Starting at 17:00 local time, about 400,000 people in the political center of the country will be required to stay at home.
The Australian capital, Canberra, was ordered to undergo a seven-day lockdown on Thursday. The city has largely avoided virus restrictions after a case of Covid-19 was detected in the city.
Starting at 17:00 local time, approximately 400,000 people in the political center of the country will be required to stay at home, joining the ranks of the millions who have been locked down in southeastern Australia.
Andrew Barr, Chief Minister of the Australian Capital Territory, said:
This is the most serious public health risk we face in the region this year. Really, it started with the pandemic.
He added that people who are Covid positive have been in the community when they were contagious.
The authorities also called on residents to avoid panic buying, because shortly after the announcement, stores began to be crowded with shoppers who did not wear masks.
Rachel Stephens-Smith, Minister of Health of the Capital, said:
There is no need to panic buying. The key message we send to people is to be patient, treat each other kindly and considerately.
Canberra has not been under lockdown since it was closed nationwide at the beginning of the 2020 pandemic.
After months of “zero coronavirus” strategy, Australia is working hard to contain multiple outbreaks of the highly spread delta variant.
As the authorities try to reduce the number of cases, more than 10 million people are currently under lockdown in Melbourne and Sydney, the country’s largest cities.
Late Wednesday, most areas of western New South Wales were also locked down because of concerns that large numbers of indigenous people are more susceptible to the coronavirus.
Marianne Gale of the New South Wales Department of Health said:
I also ask all our indigenous communities to stay at home. If you have symptoms, please come and be tested. Of course, please get any available vaccines as soon as possible.
In Sydney, the epicenter of the epidemic, nearly 6,500 cases and 36 deaths have been recorded since the cluster emerged in mid-June.
The city is expected to spend at least nine weeks under the stay-at-home order, and several hot suburbs will be subject to stricter restrictions on Thursday.
Australia has won global acclaim for its successful response to the coronavirus in the early stages of the pandemic, and by the end of 2020, most of the country will have almost no restrictions.
But the introduction of glacier vaccination does not match the delta variant, which makes cities and towns rely on repeated lockdowns as they try to eliminate the virus.
To date, the country has recorded more than 37,500 Covid-19 cases and 946 related deaths in a population of 25 million.
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