As cases rise across Australia, the New South Wales government on Sunday said it may not lift the lockdown next Friday. The local government asked people to venture out only when it is ‘absolutely necessary’ to break the chain of transmission after Australia reported 77 new cases, its highest this year, according to news agency Reuters.
The Australian government, which is battling an outbreak of the Delta variant, fared better than most developed nations with relatively low Covid-19 cases and deaths so far. The country reported 31,000 cases since the start of the pandemic and 911 deaths.
However, the New South Wales government’s strong response comes after the nation reported its first locally contracted Covid-19 death. New South Wales premier Gladys Berejiklian said it is unlikely that the lockdown will be lifted on July 16, adding that she will be shocked if the number of cases does not rise to 100 by Monday.
Following Sunday’s record, it is likely that the three-week lockdown of more than 5 million people in Sydney and its surrounding areas will be extended. “Given where we’re at and given the lockdown was supposed to be lifted on Friday, everybody can tell it’s highly unlikely at this stage,” Berejiklian was quoted as saying. The recent outbreak in Sydney has infected 566 people of whom 52 people are hospitalised with 15 of them in intensive care while five require ventilation.
The neighbouring state of Victoria has closed its borders with New South Wales and Australian Capital Territory in a bid to break the chain of transmission. Victoria did not report any case in the last 11 days.
The recent outbreak of the Delta variant and the subsequent lockdown have led to fears regarding the economy. AMP Capital chief economist Shane Oliver, while speaking to Bloomberg, said the closure of the city will cost the economy A$ 1 billion. Oliver also said the lockdown may lead to ‘more government lockdown assistance’ for the economy.
The outbreak also indicates that plans for an Australian-Singapore travel bubble could be delayed until the end of 2021, Australia’s trade minister Dan Tehan told the Sydney Morning Herald. He said the plan has been pushed back ‘due to the third wave of the virus’.
Vaccination drive
The vaccination rollout in Australia has remained slow due to supply constraints and changing medical advisories on the AstraZeneca vaccine. The health authorities said that 11 people hospitalised in Sydney are below 35 years of age and three quarters of these patients did not receive a single dose of the vaccine. Australia is vaccinating people over 40 and groups at risk due to their health conditions and people who can be exposed to Covid-19 while working. Australia has vaccinated 26% of its 26 million people with the first dose of the vaccine, according to news agency Bloomberg.
(With inputs from Bloomberg, Reuters)
