Sydney (dpa) – A two-week lockdown in Australia’s Sydney will be extended in a bid to crack down on a growing cluster of coronavirus cases.
Ongoing cases of community transmission and updated health advice had forced the New South Wales government to extend restrictions for another week, state Premier Gladys Berejiklian said at a press conference Wednesday.
A total of 27 new locally acquired cases were reported on Wednesday, with a number of those in the community while infectious.
All of greater Sydney, as well as the nearby Blue Mountains, Central Coast and Wollongong, was placed under Covid-19 restrictions on June 26.
The public will now be under stay-at-home orders except for essential outings such as work, medical appointments, care and compassionate grounds, shopping and outdoor exercise until at least July 16.
«Our first and foremost priority is to protect the health and safety of the community,» Berejiklian said.
«The Delta strain requires a different response to previous outbreaks, and until the majority of our population is vaccinated, we cannot live as freely as we would like to.»
The country, with a population of some 25 million people, has recorded 30,800 cases and 910 deaths since the pandemic began.
