Australia is concerned about the rapid spread of the delta variant of the coronavirus. In Sydney, millions are not allowed to leave their homes, while residents of Canberra and Perth are forced to wear face masks.
Several states and territories in Australia have closed or introduced new restrictions, due to concerns about the outbreak of the delta variant of the coronavirus in the country.
Throughout Greater Sydney, people are not allowed to leave their homes, except to shop or exercise. Queues to test sites have been long, many shops are closed and among the few people out on the streets, significantly more people are wearing face masks than before.
”"We want you to minimize your contact with others," says New South Wales state health chief Kerry Chant at a press conference.
The police say they have fined several dozen people, most of them for not wearing face masks, but also for defying the rule not to leave their homes.
”"Incredibly, we saw two men sunbathing naked on a beach on the south coast. They were startled by a deer and ran into the national park where they got lost. Not only did it take help from the emergency services and the police to rescue them, they were also each fined $1,000 (approximately SEK 6,500)," said State Police Chief Mick Fuller at the press conference.
The Delta variant is spreading like wildfire across the country. A person is suspected of having been infected while standing behind another infected person in a queue at a shopping centre in Sydney.
”"But in this variant, we also see almost a 100 percent probability of infection within households (if one person in the household is infected)," says state Premier Gladys Berejiklian.
The rapid spread of the variant is challenging for tracers. Around 900 customers were at risk of being exposed to the infection after an employee at a fashionable hair salon in Double Bay, Sydney, was confirmed to have Covid-19, and passengers on five flights from Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and the Gold Coast have been forced to quarantine after a flight attendant tested positive.
At a party with 30 participants early in the outbreak, 24 have now been confirmed infected, and the six who have not are vaccinated.
Individual cases have have also been recorded elsewhere in the country, leading to the closure of borders between states and territories and the introduction of new restrictions.
In the state of South Australia, 29 workers from a mine northwest of Alice Springs in the Northern Territory have been confirmed infected. The state has closed its borders to almost the rest of Australia, and returning state residents face a 14-day quarantine.
The Perth and Peel regions of Western Australia, as well as the capital Canberra, are now subject to face mask requirements, while the Northern Territory was closed on Sunday for 48 hours.
In southeast Queensland – with the city of Brisbane – face mask requirements will be introduced from Tuesday, and a maximum of 30 people are allowed to meet at home.
Source: TT
