Authorities had been talking about easing some restrictions if enough people are vaccinated and case numbers fall. And it’s also regrettably, because of that, the worst situation Australia’s been in,” Berejiklian said on Saturday.Īs the situation escalates, it is becoming increasingly unlikely Australia’s largest city Sydney will end its nine-week lockdown on August 28 as originally planned. “We have to accept that this is the worst situation New South Wales has been in since day one. NSW will increase fines to people breaching lockdown rules in the state, where police will fine people up to A$5,000 ($3,700) “on the spot” for breaching stay-at-home orders or for lying to contract-tracing officials, said state Premier Gladys Berejiklian. The lockdown began at 5pm (07:00 GMT) and will last for at least seven days, according to the Sydney Morning Herald newspaper. “To minimise movement and protect our communities from the evolving COVID situation in Sydney, stay-at-home orders will be introduced for all of Regional NSW from 5pm tonight,” the state’s Deputy Premier John Barilaro wrote on social media. The order comes as locally transmitted infections jumped by 466 over the previous 24 hours in the country’s most populous state. On Saturday, New Zealand vaccinated more than 2.5 percent of its people as part of a government-led mass vaccination drive.Australia’s most populous state New South Wales (NSW) went into a snap lockdown on Saturday as COVID-19 cases continue to surge. Neighbouring New Zealand, which is also learning to live with COVID-19 by accelerating inoculations, reported 51 new cases on Sunday, 47 of them in the largest city Auckland, which has been in a lockdown since mid-August. Neighbouring New South Wales, which emerged last week from a 100-day lockdown, reported 301 cases and 10 deaths.Įighty percent of the state’s people have been fully vaccinated. Victoria on Sunday recorded 1,838 new coronavirus cases and seven deaths. The government is also in discussions with Singapore about reopening travel between the two countries for the fully vaccinated.ĭespite a rise in cases in recent months, Australia’s coronavirus numbers are low compared with many other developed countries, with just over 143,000 cases and 1,530 deaths. More easing, including the reopening of many retailers, will come once 80 percent of eligible Victorians are fully vaccinated – estimated by November 5 at the latest.Īustralia’s health officials also said on Sunday that quarantine-free travel from New Zealand’s South Island, where there is no outbreak, will resume on Wednesday. There will be no travel limits within metropolitan Melbourne, the premier said, though residents of the city will not be able to travel outside the city without permission. Most outdoor venues will be open to up to 50 people, subject to density limits, while indoor venues, including cafes and restaurants will be able to open to 20 people, also subject to density limits. Gatherings outside will be limited to 15 people. In Victoria, more than 65 percent of people over the age of 16 have had a second dose of a vaccine while 89 percent have had at least one dose.Īndrews said with the lifting of the stay at home order, people will be allowed to have 10 visitors at their homes each day. “We are instead locking people out who have not got vaccinated to protect themselves and protect everybody else.”Īs of the weekend, about 68 percent of eligible Australians have been fully inoculated. “We’re not locking people down any more across the board,” said Andrews. The new strategy makes lockdowns highly unlikely once 80 percent of the population is fully vaccinated. Australia, once a champion of a COVID-zero strategy of managing the pandemic, has been moving towards living with the virus through extensive vaccinations, as the Delta variant has proven too transmissible to suppress.
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