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The blockade in Melbourne was originally scheduled to end on Thursday, but authorities said that due to the increase in cases, this is no longer possible.
Australian authorities have stated that they will extend the blockade of Melbourne, the country’s second largest city, as they are working to quell the coronavirus outbreak caused by the highly contagious delta virus.
When the news was announced on Sunday, the number of COVID-19 infections in Victoria, with Melbourne as the capital, increased by 92 overnight, the highest number in nearly a year.
According to health data, there are 778 active cases in Victoria.
The Melbourne lockdown is the sixth time since the pandemic began and was originally scheduled to end on Thursday. But Victoria Governor Dan Andrews said on Sunday that this will no longer be possible.
Andrews said: “There are still too many cases in our community, too long, and we can’t open up and give back…the freedoms we cherish and the freedoms we desperately want.”
Melbourne’s blockade is now in its fourth week, including curfews, closures of playgrounds and strict restrictions on sports.
Hundreds of protesters marched on the streets during an anti-blockade protest in Melbourne, Australia, on Saturday, August 21, 2021 [James Ross/AAP Image via AP]Andrews did not specify how long the stay-at-home order will last, only that officials will “consider all the different options.”
At the same time, neighbouring New South Wales, including Australia’s most populous city, Sydney, announced 1,218 new cases on Sunday, pushing Australia’s daily total number of cases to a record high.
Since the outbreak of the Delta mutation in mid-June, nearly 19,000 cases have been detected by approximately 8 million people in the state.
But as the vaccination rate in New South Wales has soared, the authorities predict that 70% of adults will be fully vaccinated by October, and they have promised some moderate freedom to residents who are tired of long-term restrictions.
In non-hot spots, starting from mid-September, five fully vaccinated adults will be able to gather outdoors for up to an hour, and the authorities have also indicated that small weddings will be allowed soon.
Once each state and territory reaches 70% and 80% of the vaccination targets, Australian leaders agree to reopen the country’s national road map.
Currently, only 33.7% of people over the age of 16 have been vaccinated. But at the current rate, 80% of the vaccine can be vaccinated by mid-November.
“Learning to coexist with the virus is our only hope,” The Times quoted Australian Finance Minister Josh Frydenberg as saying on Sunday. “Delaying and denying this fact is not only wrong, it is also very unrealistic.”
Since the beginning of the pandemic, the country has recorded more than 51,000 COVID-19 cases and caused nearly 1,000 deaths in a population of 25 million.
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