Melbourne extends sixth COVID-19 lockdown as Australia continues to fight against Delta variant outbreak

Australian authorities on Sunday announced the extension of lockdown in Australia’s second-biggest city Melbourne as they struggle to quash a stubborn coronavirus Delta variant outbreak.

Shivani
Published on: 30 Aug 2021 5:15 AM GMT
Melbourne extends sixth COVID-19 lockdown
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Melbourne extends sixth COVID-19 lockdown (Social Media)

The fight against COVID-19 continues as many countries are still struggling to curb the cases of Covid positive patients down. Talking about Australia, the situation there does not seem to be in control as the city of Melbourne extends its sixth lockdown after the cases of Delta positive patients increased.

Melbourne extends sixth COVID-19 lockdown

Australian authorities on Sunday announced the extension of lockdown in Australia's second-biggest city Melbourne as they struggle to quash a stubborn coronavirus Delta variant outbreak. The lockdown was supposed to end on Thursday but state premier Dan Andrews said it would no longer be possible with case numbers rising by 92 overnight. It is the city's sixth lockdown of the pandemic and includes a curfew, the closure of playgrounds and strict limits on exercise. "We still have too many cases in the community for too long for us to be able to open up and give back... those freedoms that we cherish and those freedoms that we desperately want back," Andrews said.

COVID-19

Although it was not revealed that this lockdown has been extended for how many weeks. But, Andrews said that the officials would look at all the different options. Meanwhile neighbouring New South Wales state, which includes Australia's most populous city of Sydney, posted 1,218 new cases on Sunday -- pushing the country's overall daily caseload to a fresh all-time high.

Almost 19,000 cases have been detected in the state of about eight million people since the Delta variant outbreak began in mid-June. But with vaccination rates now surging in New South Wales and authorities predicting 70 per cent of adults there will be fully vaccinated by October, residents wary of prolonged restrictions have been promised some modest freedoms.

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Shivani

Shivani

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