Sydney:
Australia’s COVID-19 response committee is due to hold an emergency meeting on Monday as outbreaks of the extremely contagious Delta variant across the nation prompted a lockdown in Sydney and renewed restrictions elsewhere.
Around 18 million Australians, or about 70% of the population, are now beneath some type of lockdown or COVID-connected restrictions as officials grapple with COVID-19 flare-ups in virtually every single state or territory.
“I think we are entering a new phase of this pandemic, with the more contagious Delta strain,” federal Treasurer Josh Frydenberg told the Australian Broadcasting Corp on Monday, adding Australia was facing a “critical time” in its fight against COVID-19.
The national safety committee, chaired by Prime Minister Scott Morrison, will be briefed by the country’s chief health-related officer later on Monday, Frydenberg mentioned.
Sydney, Australia’s most populous city, was plunged into a two-week lockdown more than the weekend, even though the northern city of Darwin entered a two-day shutdown, as officials grapple to include the outbreaks.
Australia’s Queensland state on Monday reintroduced mandatory masks and restricted home gatherings in quite a few places, such as state capital Brisbane, following a related move by Western Australia officials for state capital Perth. Restrictions stay in spot in Victoria state capital Melbourne and national capital Canberra.
A overall health alert was issued more than the weekend for hundreds of passengers soon after an infected Virgin Australia cabin crew member worked on 5 distinct flights covering Brisbane, Melbourne and Gold Coast.
In Sydney, New South Wales state capital, dozens of venues such as cafes, buying centres and public transport routes scattered across the city have been added as virus-exposed areas.
The Darwin lockdown was prompted by the detection of the Delta variant of the virus in a fly-in, fly-out (FIFO) worker at a gold mine soon after he had left the facility.
Australia has so far fared a lot improved than quite a few other created nations in tackling the spread of the coronavirus, with just more than 30,450 circumstances and 910 deaths.
Lockdowns, hard social distancing guidelines and swift speak to tracing have helped the nation effectively suppress prior outbreaks but the rapidly moving Delta variant has alarmed overall health authorities.
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