[ad_1]
© Reuters. On July 28, 2021, to curb the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak in Sydney, Australia, a lone bird walked past the quiet Circular Quay train station during the lockdown. REUTERS/Loren Elliott
2/5
By Renju Jose
SYDNEY (Reuters)-Sydney reported on Friday that with further tightening of restrictions in the most affected suburbs, local COVID-19 cases have eased slightly and the military has been called in to help enforce the lockdown rules.
Millions of people in Australia’s largest city have begun one of the country’s toughest lockdowns since the pandemic began, after nearly five weeks of increasingly stringent restrictions have failed to quell the highly contagious delta virus outbreak.
Although the number of cases has dropped for the first time in nearly a week, the state governor Gladys Berekiklian warned that the number of cases may rise again as more people are positive for delta virus spreading in the community. .
“We expect these numbers to rebound,” Berejiklian told reporters in Sydney.
New South Wales has reported 170 new local cases, most of which occurred in the state capital, Sydney, which is lower than the record high of 239 cases set a day ago. Of the new cases, 42 have spent the time in the community during the infection, and 53 are still under investigation.
Berejiklian also urged people not to participate in the anti-blockade protests scheduled to be held in Sydney on Saturday, warning them that they might “punish their loved ones” with the death penalty.
Thousands of people participated in the city’s anti-blockade protests last weekend, which aroused condemnation from police and politicians, who called it a potential “super spreader” incident.
As the city with a population of 5 million enters the sixth week of the extended lockdown period, which will last until August 28, new stricter regulations will affect eight local council areas, where most new infections have been reported Case.
More than 2 million people must stay within 5 kilometers (3 miles) of their homes and wear masks when going out.
The police have received comprehensive new powers to close businesses that ignore the rules, and the military will assist the police to ensure compliance with restrictions starting Monday.
This weekend, members of the army who will not be armed and commanded by the state police will receive training.
New South Wales Police Commissioner Mick Fuller used the case of a worker who allegedly went to his workplace after knowing that he had tested positive to defend stricter regulations.
“This behavior is exactly why we need strong health orders and enforcement,” Fuller said.
Officials are increasingly worried about the pressure on the healthcare system, and the number of hospitalizations and deaths is expected to increase due to the rapidly developing Delta variant.
There were a total of 187 hospitalizations, 58 of which were in the intensive care unit, and 24 of them required ventilation. To date, 13 deaths have been recorded in the most recent outbreak.
Later on Friday, the country’s national cabinet — a group of national and state leaders — will meet to discuss the country’s strategy to withdraw from the pandemic.
Australia is much better than many other developed countries in responding to the coronavirus crisis, with only more than 34,000 cases and 923 deaths, but it has one of the lowest vaccination rates.
Approximately 18% of people over the age of 16 are fully vaccinated, because AstraZeneca (NASDAQ: Pfizer (New York Stock Exchange:) Lens.
At the same time, Queensland was on alert after a 17-year-old student contracted the virus, which puzzled officials.
“(This) is very worrying because it is difficult for me to understand how she obtained it,” state chief health officer Janet Young told reporters.
[ad_2]
Source link
