'Delta Variant Spread' Sydney Lockdown Measures Extended for 2 Weeks in Australia

by Park Pyunghee

Published 14 Jul.2021 14:41(KST)

[Photo by AFP Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Byung-hee] Due to the spread of the COVID-19 Delta variant, lockdown measures in Sydney, Australia have been extended for two weeks.

According to Australia's public broadcaster ABC on the 14th, Gladys Berejiklian, Premier of New South Wales (NSW), whose capital is Sydney, held a press conference and announced that the lockdown order targeting Greater Sydney and nearby areas, originally scheduled to end on the 16th, will be extended until 11:59 PM on the 30th.

NSW entered a lockdown with a two-week stay-at-home order starting on the 26th of last month. The lockdown was first extended on the 7th, but the spread of COVID-19 did not subside. The number of daily new confirmed cases set a new record for five consecutive days, surpassing 100 with 116 cases on the 12th. On the 14th, 97 new cases were confirmed. As a result, a second extension of the lockdown was decided.

Premier Berejiklian said, "To get out of the lockdown as soon as possible, we have no choice but to maintain the current measures," and did not rule out the possibility of further extensions.

The spread of the Delta variant in NSW began on the 16th of last month when a limousine bus driver in his 60s living in eastern Sydney was infected by a passenger who had arrived from the United States. Following this, community infections surged, and the NSW government issued a lockdown order on the 26th of last month, prohibiting outings except for essential purposes such as purchasing necessities, medical care, exercise, and work in Greater Sydney and nearby areas.

According to the Australian Federal Department of Health, as of the 13th, there are 849 COVID-19 patients nationwide, with 745 concentrated in NSW, which is under lockdown due to the spread of the Delta variant.