Sydney Flags Broader Lockdown As Delta Variant Cases Swell

Sydney, Australia: The streets of the center of Sydney were deserted on Saturday, since the largest city in Australia began a one-week blockade to contain the highly contagious Delta Coronavirus variant, with the authorities that warn the broader restrictions.

So far, more than 80 COVID-19 cases have been reported in a wave of infection linked to an international flight crew transported to a quarantine hotel from the airport.

The outbreak was a shock for a city that had returned to relative normality after months with very few local cases.

The sudden curbs entered into force at midnight, affecting an estimate of one million people in the financial district of Sydney and Sydney East Suburbs.

But the propagation of the outbreak beyond the four neighborhoods that are already locked, was stimulating “growing and more intense concern,” the Minister of Health of the State of New South Wales, Brad Hazzard said.

“The delta variant is proving to be a very formidable enemy,” he said to journalists.

“No matter what defensive steps were taking at this time, the virus seems to understand how to courage.”

Health officials have been alarmed by the rapid variant of the Delta Visa view for the first time in India, observing instances of people who pass through the virus during the shooting encounters in stores and then quickly infect family contacts.

They have marked a chain of new possible virus exhibition sites, including a popular city bar, as well as the scores of companies and public places already identified as risks.

Gladys Berejiklian State Prime Minister said that a crisis meeting would be held with public health officials later to decide whether to expand blockade to other areas of Sydney.

“I am putting everyone about notification that it is possible that we should extend that during the course of the day or tomorrow,” Berejiklian said.

Sydney residents subject to current restrictions have been ordered to stay at home for at least one week, just venture to buy essential goods, get medical attention, exercise, go to school or if they can not work from home.

A previous ban on people who leave the city also spread on Friday, since traces of sewage virus were detected at the Bourke City factory, at nine northwest Sydney automobile hours.

It is the latest in a chain of “automatic switch” blocks through the main cities of Australia, and most cases linked to returning travelers celebrated in a hotel quarantine.

Australia has been among the most successful countries in the world containing Covid-19, with only more than 30,000 cases and 910 deaths in a population of approximately 25 million.