Sydney extends lockdown till the end of September

Lockdown in the city of Sydney has been extended up to the end of September. This lockdown is aiming to slow down the spread of the covid outbreak in the city.

Authorities have also imposed a curfew on 2 million residents in the cavity. Residents of Sydney have to stay under the orders of staying at home until September. Although the city continued the lockdowns up to late June, the infections have doubled. The city is now facing 642 new cases.

“I apologize to the vast majority of people in those communities who are doing the right thing, but for our health and safety moving forward, we need to make these difficult decisions,” New South Wales (NSW) Premier Gladys Berejiklian said.

She further added that the curfew would run from 2100 to 0500. These restrictions aim at reducing the movement of young people. There are instances that young people break the rules at night. Critics say there is little medical evidence to show that curfew has any effect on virus control.

The local lawmakers are also criticizing the authorities for the application of harsh restrictions in the poorer west and southwest suburbs of the city. This rule is targeting the Sydneysiders who are living in 12 council areas of deeper concern. It is the most ethnically diverse community in the city.

Along with this curfew, people of that suburb will have a limited one hour from daily exercise. The measures are highly focused on preventing more people from losing their loved ones.

Critics say that the state government needed to act on it earlier to control this outbreak of the Delta variant. Australia on Thursday has marked its higher daily infections since the beginning of the pandemic. It has recorded 754 cases.

Currently, more than half of 25 million people in Australia are living under lockdown. Sydney remains the biggest concern. The city has reported 65 deaths. The Rest of NSW is still under lockdown. But Ms. Berejiklian said the government would ease the restrictions outside Sydney from 28th August.

Australia has recorded 971 deaths until now. But the entry of Delta into this country has challenged the nation’s condition. Residents in Melbourne have marked the 200th day of lockdown. Critics are also accusing the federal government of the slow vaccine rollout. The government is under significant pressure for the vaccination rollouts.

Credits: BBC