Sydney's COVID-19 Infection Cases Decline, Melbourne's Turn To Track Virus Spread

JAKARTA - Australian authorities are reporting a slowdown in Sydney's COVID-19 infection cases, with Melbourne now increasing its tracking of the virus spread in a number of new locations.

Sydney on Thursday reported the number of cases of COVID-19 infection was lower than before, with the lockdown being extended to contain the outbreak of the highly contagious Delta variant.

Quoting Reuters on Thursday, July 15, as many as 65 new cases of infection were reported, a decrease compared to the previous day which reached 97 cases. However, the public is still asked to be vigilant and not to be complacent.

New South Wales State Prime Minister Gladys Berejiklian said the number of cases would need to drop significantly for the city of 5 million to emerge from lockdown, given that 28 of the 65 new infections reported were people who transmitted it while still active in the community.

"While the number of cases is decreasing, we are seeing stabilization. They are not growing exponentially," Berejiklian said in Sydney.

Sydney's lockdown began on 26 June and will remain in effect until at least 30 July. Authorities say restrictions will only ease when the number of new reported cases circulating in the community while infectious is close to zero.

Total infections across the port city now stand at more than 900 and two deaths have been reported, the first for the country this year.

Meanwhile, Victoria State authorities are continuing to track the spread of the coronavirus, particularly in the state capital, Melbourne, after a freight forwarding team who contracted COVID-19 came to the city to work. The same thing is also worried about South Australia.

Dozens of new Melbourne venues including a shopping mall, two public transport routes and sports clubs were listed late Wednesday as virus-hit locations, adding to pressure on authorities to tighten restrictions.

On Wednesday, mandatory indoor masks were reintroduced for Victoria's more than 6 million residents, after the state recorded 10 new cases of COVID-19 infection. No new cases were reported in Victoria on Thursday.

Restrictions on gatherings at home and restrictions on visitors to indoor venues are being considered by state authorities, Australian media reported on Thursday.

Separately, South Australian authorities have identified a third place visited by moving service workers, while two regional cities in New South Wales, including one near the border with Victoria and about 500 km (310 miles) southwest of Sydney, were on alert after they arrived. stop at the service station.

Nevertheless, Australia is one of the countries that has been quick to take steps to handle, lock up to tracking, to suppress cases of COVID-19 infection since last year.

Launching Worldometers, Kangaroo Country currently recorded a total of 31,429 cases of COVID-19 infection, with 912 deaths and 29,534 patients declared cured.

Meanwhile, for COVID-19 vaccination, Australia has now vaccinated more than 12 per cent of the adult population of around 20.5 million at the full dose.