Sydney’s Delta Surge Prompts Tougher Lockdown Restrictions
- Outbreak places pressure on Australia’s Covid Zero strategy
- Vaccine rollout under spotlight after supply-chain hold-ups
A near-empty street in the central business district of Sydney, on July 27.
Photographer: Brendon Thorne/BloombergThis article is for subscribers only.
Sydney’s delta-outbreak cases have reached a new peak even as the Australian city nears the end of its fifth week under strict stay-at-home orders, triggering authorities to implement further restrictions and penalties to enforce compliance.
New South Wales, Australia’s biggest state economy, recorded 239 new cases Thursday -- the highest tally since this outbreak started in Sydney in mid-June and up from 177 the day before. At least 70 cases were active in the community while infectious, concerning health officials that the delta-variant of the coronavirus may further spread in the city of almost 6 million people.