Wartakotalive.com – State leader New South Wales (NSW) Australia on Wednesday (7/7/2021) ordered the extension of the Covid-19 lockdown in Sydney for a week.
Authorities have also warned new cases are sure to rise as the country’s largest city grapples with the highly contagious Delta variant.
According to Reuters, Sydney, home to a fifth of Australia’s 25 million population, will be placed under lockdown on 26 June 2021.
The spread of the Delta variant outbreak is pressuring officials to tighten restrictions in a country that is slow to vaccinate.
The stay-at-home order, which was previously due to expire on Friday (9/7/2021), is now in effect and has been extended until 16 July 2021.
“We are dealing with this Delta (variant) strain that is highly contagious and more contagious than any other form of the virus,” NSW state Prime Minister Gladys Berejiklian told reporters at Sydney.
Lockdowns, rapid contact tracing and high public compliance with social distancing rules have helped Australia contain the outbreak in the last year and keep Covid-19 rates relatively low.
The current lockup is the second in Sydney since the pandemic started.
Health officials warn residents Sydney, they predict cases will continue to rise in the region and are urging residents in the three western suburbs – Fairfield, Canterbury-Bankstown and Liverpool – to stay home.
Liverpool deputy mayor Mazhar Hadid said there was “no choice” but to lock down the neighborhood.
“I know it’s affecting small businesses in Liverpool, it looks like they’ve lost their city but we need to do the right thing,” he told Reuters.
Schools in Sydney will switch to distance learning next week when they return from winter break.
This article has been published on Tribunnews.com with the title Sydney Returns to Strict Restrictions for a Week Due to Widespread Delta Variants
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