As authorities scramble to stem an emerging epidemic of the Delta strain, Brisbane, Australia's third-largest city, and other parts of Queensland state will be put under a COVID lockdown starting Saturday.
Millions of people in the metropolis and numerous other locations would be ordered to stay at home for three days starting Saturday afternoon, according to state Deputy Premier Steven Miles.
“We know from other states' experience that the only way to beat the Delta strain is to move quickly, be fast, and be strong,” Miles said. “That is now the approach that has been agreed upon at the national level.”
According to Miles, there are now seven cases of the Delta strain of the coronavirus in Queensland, all of which are linked to a school kid, her family, and a tutor. However, authorities are still working to track down the outbreak's origins.
Residents will only be able to leave their houses for basic activities such as shopping and exercising under the city's "strictest lockdown."
Brisbane's emergency lockdown came as Sydney and its environs, Australia's largest city, entered its fifth week of lockdown as officials battled to curb the spread of a Delta-variant outbreak.
“Just because we've done so well so far, we can't afford to be complacent. “These restrictions must be followed by all of us,” Miles stated.
Meanwhile, 210 locally acquired instances of COVID-19 were reported in New South Wales, Australia's most populated state, on Saturday, as police blocked off downtown Sydney with multiple checkpoints to prevent a planned anti-lockdown rally.
While battling an epidemic of the extremely infectious Delta type, Sydney and its environs have been under a weeks-long severe lockdown that will persist at least until the end of August.
The outbreak now has 3,190 cases, according to Saturday's figures.
According to NSW Health Minister Brad Hazzard, there are 198 individuals in hospital in Sydney, 53 of who are in intensive care and 27 of whom require ventilation. One fatality was also reported, bringing the total number of deaths in the outbreak to fourteen.
Despite experiencing surges in infections, particularly of the Delta strain, Australia has mostly kept the epidemic under control, with little over 34,000 cases and 924 deaths.
