Sydney, isolated by a delta variant searchlight | …

Most Sydney City Residents, the largest and most populous in Australia, It is forbidden to leave the city from this June 23 due to an outbreak of the Delta variant of the coronavirus. The authorities have asked the population “not to let their guard down” to prevent it from spreading to other areas.

The head of government of New South Wales, the Australian state of which Sydney is the capital, announced a package of Restrictive measures, including mandatory chin straps in all non-residential indoor environments, including workplaces, and at outdoor events.

“This is clearly an evolving situation, given what has happened, the NSW government will take action today to limit the spread of this highly contagious variant of Covid- 19 “, said Prime Minister Gladys Berejiklian.

In the week preceding the announcement of the new restrictive measures, More than 30 people have tested positive for this epidemic outbreak in Sydney’s Bondi Beach area.

Berejiklian stressed that a “large proportion” of Sydney’s 5 million inhabitants will be subject to this travel ban which affects seven areas where cases of Covid-19 have been recorded.

However, he clarified that at the moment they would not be closing restaurants or bars, although they are not allowed to perform shows involving dancing and singing. As for large events, they were authorized with a capacity limited to 50% in the stadiums.

“I know from experience that there is a certain satiety and a certain indifference towards the virus,” admitted Brad Hazzard, the Minister of Health for New South Wales, the most populous state. of the country, while calling on the inhabitants to not lower their guard against “this most dangerous variant of the virus”. “Apathy must have no place,” he added.

Australia was managing the spread of the coronavirus well, recording less than 30,000 cases since the start of the pandemic, most in the state of Victoria, whose capital is Melbourne, and less than 1,000 deaths per 25 million inhabitants .

It is assumed that the person behind this new source of contagion is a driver who works for airlines and who was infected with the highly contagious Delta variant, first identified in India.

New Zealand authorities have also tightened restrictions in Wellington, the capital, after a Sydney resident who spent a weekend in the city tested positive on his return. In New Zealand, only 6.7 million people have been vaccinated out of a total of 25 million and most have only received a single dose.