Of the new cases, six spent time outdoors while infectious, a number which authorities have said must return to near zero before restrictions can be eased.Īustralia has largely avoided the high coronavirus numbers seen in many other countries, with just over 37,700 cases and 946 deaths, and several states remain almost COVID-free despite the outbreaks in Sydney and Melbourne.īut the rapid spread of the Delta variant in New South Wales and a slow vaccine rollout has left the country vulnerable to a new wave of infections.

Neighbouring Victoria state on Thursday reported 21 new locally acquired cases, up from 20 a day earlier, as 5 million residents of Melbourne, the state capital, prepare to enter a second week of lockdown. In Canberra, authorities said the one-week lockdown was needed as they were unsure how the man is his 20s acquired COVID-19.Ĭanberra has largely escaped any COVID-19 cases since the beginning of the pandemic, and confirmation of a Delta variant saw panic buying at the supermarkets and long lines at testing sites. A total of 374 cases are in hospitals, with 62 in intensive care, 29 of whom require ventilation. Officials also reported the deaths of two men in their 90s, taking the total deaths in the latest outbreak to 36. 'I mean to lockdown 200,000 residents because of three suburbs is not acceptable to me,' Awada told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Joe Awada, the mayor of Bayside Council, one of the areas placed under additional restrictions, questioned why more targeted curbs were not introduced.

Lockdown rules were tightened in three more local council areas in Sydney, limiting the movement of people to within 5 km (3 miles) of their homes. NSW on Thursday reported 345 new locally acquired cases, most of them in Sydney, up from 344 a day earlier. Several regional towns scattered across NSW have also been forced into snap lockdowns after fresh cases, raising fears the virus is spreading out of control.ĭespite seven weeks of lockdown in Sydney, daily infections continue to hover near record highs. Some 580 unarmed army personnel are already helping police enforce home-quarantine orders on affected households in the worst-affected suburbs of Sydney, Australia's most populous city. 'We are making sure that we do not leave any stone unturned in relation to extra (military) resources,' New South Wales (NSW) state Premier Gladys Berejiklian said at a media conference in Sydney, the state capital.

Forbidden Trouble by Travis Casey