The state government of New South Wales (NSW) has declared a national crisis due to the outbreak in Sydney.
According to the state’s Minister of Health Brad Hazzard, 163 new infections were registered on Saturday, which is the highest number in one day since the outbreak with the delta variant began in mid-June.
The authorities describe the situation as a persistent and growing problem, writes The Guardian.
DEMONSTRATIONS: “Freedom” is written on one of the posters of those who demonstrated against the coronary restrictions in Sydney on Saturday. Photo: Mick Tsikas / AAP / AP / NTB
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– Illegal demonstration
“We really need our citizens, especially in southwestern and western Sydney, to stay at home,” said Prime Minister Hazzard, according to the newspaper.
But not everyone agrees with him.
In several major cities, including Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide and Brisbane, there have been several demonstrations today against the authorities’ corona measures.
According to The Guardian, several protesters have broken police barricades and thrown bottles at police.
In Sydney, around 3,500 people took part in the demonstration, the newspaper writes – and of these, 57 people were arrested and detained.
Both the riding police and the riot police were in place during what the authorities say was an illegal demonstration.
Crowd size at this anti-lockdown protest is no joke. Just marched past our hotel room. Lots of shouting and tonne of honking car horns. pic.twitter.com/StG4RoPQJI
— Alyx Gorman (@AlyxG) July 24, 2021
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– Superspreder-arrangement
NSW Police Minister David Elliot announced afterwards that they would work to identify absolutely everyone who took part in the demonstration, which he further referred to as a “super-spreader event”.
BBC writes that Prime Minister Brad Hazzard condemns the demonstrations, describing them as “very stupid”.
– We live in a democracy, and normally I am definitely one who supports people’s rights to protest … but at the moment the number of cases is skyrocketing, and at the same time people who think it is OK to get out and possibly be close to each other at a demonstration, says Hazzard.
APPEALS: 57 people were arrested after Saturday’s demonstration in Sydney. Photo: Mick Tsikas / AAP / AP / NTB
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Closed down
Around 13 million Australians, ie about half of the country’s population, are now in lockdown, writes BBC.
It is the areas of South Australia, Victoria, parts of New South Wales that have closed down. The people here are not allowed to leave their homes, except when shopping for food, exercise or other essential reasons.
According to the channel, less than 13 percent of the country’s population is still fully vaccinated. This is partly due to delivery problems for the Pfizer / Biontech vaccine and concerns about whether AstraZeneca’s vaccine is safe, writes NTB.
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According to the news agency, Prime Minister Gladys Berejiklian says that the government must once again concentrate on the vaccine roll-out, which has been very slow.
The prime minister also says that Sydney’s five million people may have to live with restrictions until October. The virus is now spreading “everywhere” and half of Australia’s population is subject to closure measures.
Nakstad worried: – Growing strongly
– Wrong way
Even a month of shutdown has not been enough to overcome the outbreak.
The state government is now asking for more vaccines and resources from the federal government in Canberra.
– We have a duty to the country to gain control of the virus. There is no doubt that the numbers are not going in the right direction, says Prime Minister Gladys Berejiklian, who is calling for more Pfizer doses.
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