Prognosis
Delta Surge Sees Split in Australian States’ Covid-Zero Strategy
- Morrison’s conservatives eye reopening as Labor leaders resist
- Elimination strategy abandoned for half of nation’s population
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Australia’s Covid-Zero strategy is under unprecedented pressure with some states seeking to remain isolated from Sydney and Melbourne, where attempts to eliminate the highly-contagious delta variant have largely been abandoned.
The surge of coronavirus cases in the nation’s most-populous southeastern region, including its largest cities Sydney and Melbourne, has seen some Labor Party-led states balk at conservative Prime Minister Scott Morrison’s plan to remove ongoing lockdown restrictions. He also wants to reopen domestic and international borders when vaccination rates reach certain thresholds.