Advertisement

Updated August 12th, 2021 at 13:30 IST

COVID-19: Canberra to enter snap lockdown; Sydney strengthens rules to battle Delta surge

Canberra to enter snap lockdown after the city reported its first locally acquired Delta variant case, Sydney to deploy army; more details from Australia

Reported by: Dipaneeta Das
COVID-19
IMAGE: AP/representative | Image:self
Advertisement

Australian capital city Canberra to enter snap lockdown after the city reported its first locally acquired Delta variant case. About 240km northeast of Canberra, the New South Wales state government has also planned to convert the snap lockdown into hard lockdown in Sydney after frequent cases of Delta variant were reported in several regional areas. The decision comes while Australia's third-largest city, Brisbane and parts of Queensland state are already on lockdown.

Australian military to ensure residents comply with lockdown rules

New South Wales (NSW) has announced the deployment of Australian forces in Sydney to ensure residents comply with lockdown rules, Premier Gladys Berejiklian said at a press conference. Around 500 military personnel will be sent in to enforce quarantine home orders in Australia's most populous city, the Premier added. NSW was supposed to scrap lockdown restrictions on July 30, however, the state government refrained the decision following the steep hike in cases since the end of July. The movements of people in three more council areas of Sydney have been limited to within 5-kilo meters of their residents. Being unable to comply with which will result in strict action against the residents, a government authority told the press.

South-East Queensland urged to stay at home except for essential reasons

Several areas of the state including the president have been asked to stay indoors from July 13. The lockdown in Southeast Queensland was announced by Deputy Premier Steven Miles also listed the guidelines for the upcoming lockdown on his Facebook page. As per the post, people in South-East Queensland are required to stay at home except for essential reasons, Miles wrote on Facebook. The rules are deemed mandatory to be followed by citizens even if they are no longer in South-East Queensland.

Restrictions were identified for 11 Local Government Areas (LGA) in Southeast Queensland. The areas under lockdown are Brisbane, Ipswich, Logan City Moreton Bay, Redlands, Sunshine Coast, Gold Coast, Noosa, Somerset, Lockyer Valley, Scenic Rim. The announced restriction shall be observed in the state from 4 p.m. on Saturday to 4 p.m. till Tuesday. Deputy Premier during his speech mentioned that the only way to "beat the Delta strain" is to impose lockdown.

Australian COVID-19 cases surge after delta variant cases continue to be reported from several regions

Australia has witnessed a steep rise in Covid-19 cases of Delta variant since July 21. New South Wales had reported nearly 343 cases in the last 24 hours.

From July 29 to 11 August, New South Wales registered 3,714 cases. Meanwhile, Queensland and Victoria fared quite well during the second wave, it reported only 16 cases and 21 cases, respectively in the last 7days. However, Victoria's capital Melbourne is also prepared to enter into the second week of lockdown following cases of Delta variant in the city.

Calling the lockdown a successful move, NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian said had it not been for the lockdown, the cases would have "undoubtedly" been "thousands and thousands." During her televised conference, she urged the citizens and the government to be "on guard" for the days to come.

(Image input: AP/representative)

Advertisement

Published August 12th, 2021 at 13:30 IST

Your Voice. Now Direct.

Send us your views, we’ll publish them. This section is moderated.

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Whatsapp logo