The state leader announced that Sydney will be placed under strict lockdown for two weeks starting Saturday night local time to stop the spread of the highly infectious Delta coronavirus variant.
Over a million people were already in lockdown in Sydney’s downtown and eastern suburbs due to the outbreak. However, health officials said that they had to increase the security after more Covid-19 cases were reported, with the exposure areas increasing beyond initial concerns.
Premier Gladys Berejiklian of New South Wales announced the lockdown. It will also cover the Blue Mountains, Central Coast, and Wollongong regions that surround Sydney.
The latest in a series of tight but firm lockdowns in Sydney are part of a string of measures taken in Australia’s major cities to combat small coronavirus outbreaks.