Holly robertson
06/29/2021 11:01 AM
Clarín.com
World
Updated 06/29/2021 11:28 AM
Some 10 million Australians, almost half the population, will have to serve a new confinement in several cities in the country, which is fighting an increase in coronavirus infections.
Long ago, the nation believed itself practically liberated from the pandemic.
What happened?
After the inhabitants of Sydney (in the southeast), Darwin (north) and Perth (west), those of Brisbane (east) and several areas of the state of Queensland will have to stay at home from Tuesday night, during at least three days.
In recent weeks
Australia
, with some 25 million inhabitants, praised for its response to the pandemic, has been facing
an outbreak of cases, especially of the
highly contagious
Delta variant
.
Many attribute it to flaws in quarantine systems for travelers arriving from abroad.
A restaurant in a shopping mall in downtown Brisbane, Australia, this Tuesday, closed due to new restrictions against the coronavirus.
Photo: EFE
"These are difficult decisions. There are lockdowns in big cities because the virus enters with arrivals from abroad," said Annastacia Palaszczuk, the prime minister of Queensland.
"We are not just fighting an outbreak, we are focusing on a number and more information came to light today. We are now dealing with multiple scenarios and it is time for us to act and act fast," he warned.
In addition to Brisbane, several areas of the Queensland coastline, and especially the small town of Townsville (north), are affected by this new quarantine.
You are only allowed to go out for essential activities
.
The measure was taken due to a relapse of cases after a member of the health staff who was not vaccinated traveled for ten days to Queensland while he was infected.
CASES
0.000.00000.000
per million inhab.
Xxxxx
DEATHS
00,0000,000
per million inhab.
Source:
Johns Hopkins
Chart:
Flourish
|
Infographic:
Clarín
Perth residents are also
banned from leaving their homes
under Tuesday's four-day lockdown.
Only three positive cases have recently been detected in this large western city, which has long exercised extreme caution in the event of an outbreak.
The Delta variant, a "new beast"
"We know the risks posed by covid and looking at the world we know that the Delta variant is a new beast that we cannot risk ourselves with," Western Australian Prime Minister Mark McGowan said at a press conference Monday night.
These confinements occur in
full school holidays and at the tourist level could lead to many cancellations
, since the unaffected states recommend that their inhabitants not visit those in which cases have been registered.
A Covid-19 testing center in Perth, Australia, on Tuesday.
Photo: AFP
New Zealand, meanwhile, announced that it will partially reopen its "bubble" for travel with Australia from July 5, only with states that have not registered cases.
Australia is facing cases of the highly contagious Delta variant, which appeared in India.
Slow vaccination
The Conservative government was
criticized for the slowness of the vaccination campaign
and for the lack of improvements in quarantine devices.
Under pressure, Australian Prime Minister
Scott Morrison
announced that vaccination would be mandatory for staff in institutions dealing with the elderly and quarantine centers.
A vaccination center in Sydney, Australia.
Photo: AFP
In addition, his new deputy prime minister, Barnaby Joyce, has just been
fined 200 Australian dollars (126 euros, 150 dollars) after being seen without a mask
while paying for fuel at a service station on Monday morning.
The government is also criticized for not making public the number of Australians fully vaccinated.
Some 7.4 million doses have been administered.
But some media outlets claim that less than 5% of the 25 million Australians have received both doses.
The current main epidemic focus remains in Sydney, where 150 people have been infected since a driver working for airline crews tested positive in mid-June.
The nation's largest city entered
a two-week lockdown
on Sunday
.
Since the start of the pandemic, Australia has recorded just over 30,000 cases, of which 910 were fatal.
Source: AFP
CB
Look also
Coronavirus: the European health certificate starts, which seeks to revive travel in the European Union
The Delta variant of coronavirus advances in Asia, with record numbers and restrictions to contain or avoid it