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.
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