SYDNEY, 29 July 2021: Australia’s biggest city Sydney faces another month in lockdown, authorities confirmed Wednesday in statements to news channels.
Australia continues to report fast-growing Covid-19 outbreaks while it has underperformed as far as its vaccination programme goes.
Sydney was supposed to end its lockdown on 30 July, but it has now been extended until 28 August, as the growth in daily cases accelerates.
Officials announced 177 new cases linked to the Sydney outbreak, which began mid-June when a driver for an international flight crew contracted the virus, AFP reported.
The lockdown requires residents to stay home except for exercise, essential work, shopping for necessities such as food, and medical reasons.
In contrast, Melbourne has ended its fifth lockdown, and authorities claimed the city had reined in the Delta variant for the second time in recent months.
Australia’s vaccination programmed lags behind other nations in the Asia-Pacific. Around 13% of the 25 million population has been vaccinated.
