New Zealand and Australia, which are among the best defensive countries in the world, are also concerned about the spread of the delta variant, so, as has been the case so far, serious efforts are being made to prevent outbreaks.
New Zealand’s borders will certainly remain closed until the end of the year due to the coronavirus pandemic. The infection is barely present in the country at the moment, but travel restrictions, according to Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, must be maintained to remain so.
We are not yet in a position to fully open it again. If we take action, we will be careful and thoughtful because we want to act in the safest way possible.”
Due to the convenient situation, there are almost no restrictions within New Zealand’s borders, a mask must only be worn on public transport. But in the Australian capital, Canberra, a complete seven-day lockdown was ordered from Thursday afternoon with more and more people infected.
We do not know the source of the infection at the moment, but a comprehensive investigation has been going on for hours. This year is, in fact, the most serious public health risk we have faced since the pandemic began. This is why we have put in place a strict lockdown in response, said Andrew Barr, head of government in the capital.
Australian cities under close control
In the south of the country, austerity continued for a long time. Sydney is under two-week lockdown, with restrictions imposed by the police and 300 unarmed soldiers. The police have the right to turn back those who try to leave the city.
In the state capital of New South Wales (which is also the most populous city in the country), the number of recorded infections continues to rise despite the quarantine, with many fearing an outbreak after infections were reported from several cities in the state.
In New South Wales, the daily increase in recorded infections was again set at 344 cases on Wednesday. Of those infected in neighboring Victoria, 21 were infected, one increase from the day before. In the state capital, Melbourne, the lockdown has been extended until August 19.
The vaccination campaign is progressing slowly
Australia tried to curb the epidemic through quarantine and border closures in 2020, which has resulted in fewer than 1,000 casualties so far (New Zealand, which has a similar policy, is far better, with only 26 Covid deaths). The delta variant virus is currently spreading in the country, as in many other countries of the world.
However, the vaccination campaign is progressing slowly, in part because there are still many who do not want to be vaccinated. Only about 24 percent of those over 16 have taken two doses of the vaccine so far. At least one dose was given to 37 percent of the total population. In New Zealand, the situation is slightly worse, where 30 percent of the total population has been vaccinated at least once.
