Australia’s New South Wales (NSW) state on Thursday reported its biggest daily increase in locally acquired cases of COVID-19 this year, as officials struggle to stamp out a growing cluster of the highly infectious Delta variant.
The spike in cases in Australia’s largest city Sydney after two weeks of tight lockdown raised the prospect of a further extension in restrictions, with officials blaming illegal family visits for the continued rise in infections.
NSW reported 38 new local cases, up from 27 a day earlier, 11 of whom spent time in the community while remaining infectious.
Given Australia’s slow vaccine rollout, NSW State Premier Gladys Berejiklian urged residents not to visit the homes of family and friends, citing the highly permeable nature of the Delta strain.
“It is really important for all of us to stay on course and follow the health advice so that we can have the best chance of getting out of this lockdown in a timely manner,” Berejiklian told reporters in Sydney.
A strict stay-at-home order has been in place since June 26 in Sydney, home to a fifth of the country’s 25 million population.
Asked if it could be extended beyond its current planned end date of July 16, Berejiklian said controlling the delta version among people flouting low vaccination rates and social distancing rules was “an unrealistic assumption”. Will be
The state police force will deploy an additional 100 officers to Sydney’s south west from Friday to ensure residents are wearing masks and are not breaking COVID-19 restrictions.
“Obviously we still have community members who don’t comply,” Deputy Commissioner Mal Lanian told a press briefing.
“Those police will be a very visible presence,” he said.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison said the federal government would ensure adequate economic aid if the lockdown was extended, adding that the state was on “shifting sand” and urged patience.
“I know people are getting tired … getting frustrated. This is a virus we’re dealing with, and it sets its own rules,” Morrison said during a televised media conference.
The latest infections took Sydney’s total in this outbreak to nearly 400 since the first case was detected more than three weeks ago in a limousine driver who carried a foreign airline crew.
Australia has done much better than many other developed countries in keeping COVID-19 numbers down, with only 30,900 cases and 910 deaths, however, the country’s slow vaccination rollout has taken some of the shine off that success.
Just over 9% of people in NSW have been fully vaccinated, while about 29% have received the first dose.
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