As officials combat a Delta epidemic that has seen record case numbers this week, Sydney's coronavirus lockdown has been extended for another month, with huge swaths of the city facing curfew starting Monday.
On Friday, the state of New South Wales recorded 642 new local cases and four fatalities, prompting Premier Gladys Berejiklian to order that masks be worn outdoors at all times except while exercising.
Curfews will be enforced in council areas of concern in western Sydney starting Monday, while the city's lockdown, which has kept five million people at home since late June, has been extended until September 30.
In all, half of Australia's 25 million people are now on lockdown, with outbreaks also affecting the states of Victoria and the Australian Capital Territory.
As authorities fight to limit the spread of the deadly Delta strain, residents in New South Wales are now facing harsher policing, with increased enforcement and penalties. More than 500 more cases were added on Friday, and their isolation status is still being investigated.
The restrictions have also separated the state capital from the surrounding areas, with individuals traveling between Greater Sydney and other parts of the state needing a permit as of Saturday.
In recent weeks, Berejiklian and top health officer Kerry Chant have frequently and vehemently rejected the use of curfews, but on Friday they decided to impose one in 12 districts of the city from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m.
On Friday, Berejiklian stated, "While the evidence for curfews is mixed, the evidence for a lot of these things is mixed." “But I don't want us to look back and say we didn't try, that we didn't give it our all.”
In addition, residents in certain locations would be limited to one hour of exercise each day, and NSW police will be granted the authority to lock down whole residential complexes if an epidemic occurs.
By the end of next month, the state will make Covid vaccines mandatory for all healthcare professionals, as well as childcare and disability assistance employees in municipal areas of concern by August 30.
Due to Covid exposure in the cancer unit at Sydney's Saint George hospital, 80 healthcare workers are being isolated this week.
In NSW, little over 55% of persons over the age of 16 have received at least one dose of the Covid vaccination, with 29% completely vaccinated.
On Thursday, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison stated that, beginning August 30, all Australians aged 16 and above would be eligible for vaccination, bringing the total number of individuals vaccinated to 8.6 million.
While the national cabinet has backed expanding the program to include younger Australians, who are more likely to spread the virus due to their high mobility, it is thought the prime minister did not inform state and territory leaders of the decision before the announcement on Thursday.
NSW is considering methods to offer vaccinated individuals greater freedom in September when the state's vaccination rate reaches 6 million but has yet to lay out its strategy.
The Australian Medical Association, on the other hand, has cautioned the NSW government not to “take any chances” by loosening regulations. President Omar Khorshid stated, "We've seen in NSW and elsewhere that once the Delta virus takes hold, it's very difficult to contain."
Like the city of Melbourne, in the neighboring state of Victoria, entered the third week of its sixth Covid lockdown, playgrounds, skate parks, basketball courts, and outdoor gyms remained closed.
In neighboring Fresh Zealand, which has similarly followed a zero-cases approach, a new epidemic fueled by the Delta strain is raging. On Friday, the country's case cluster increased to 31 people and spread from Auckland to Wellington, the capital.
The stringent countrywide coronavirus lockdown was extended on Friday by Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, who said the entire scale of the Delta epidemic was yet unclear. The lockdown will last until Tuesday midnight, Ardern said at a press conference.
