Sydney Sets Record Highest Daily COVID-19 Infections Since Pandemic, Australian Police Take Strict Action

JAKARTA - Ahead of the extended lockdown, Australia's largest city, Sydney, recorded a record daily COVID-19 infection since the pandemic began last year, with 239 infections reported as of Thursday local time.

These conditions forced the authorities to take strict action, the police would close businesses that did not comply with the lockdown. More than two million residents in eight hotspots for the spread of COVID-19 are required to wear masks outdoors and can only travel 5 kilometers.

"It only takes a few people, or a very small number of people, to do the wrong thing, cause a setback for all of us. We must not suffer a setback," New South Wales State Prime Minister Gladys Berejiklian told reporters in Sydney. .

Most of the new locally acquired cases were detected in Sydney, with at least 66 having spent time in the community while infectious. Authorities insist Sydney's lockdown will not ease until cases in the community are near zero.

Indeed, Sydney, home to a fifth of Australia's 25 million people, is grappling with its worst outbreak for the year which forced authorities on Wednesday to extend lockdown restrictions for another month, until August 28.

More than 2,800 cases of COVID-19 infection have been detected so far, with 182 people being hospitalized. Fifty-four are in intensive care, 22 of whom require ventilation. Two new deaths were recorded, bringing the total number of deaths in the latest outbreak to 13.

With only about 17 per cent of people over 16 fully vaccinated in the state of New South Wales, infections have continued to rise despite Greater Sydney's lockdown since 26 June.

The extended lockdown in Greater Sydney of about 6 million people, is expected to cost Australia's economy $2 trillion, or about $1.50 trillion, with many businesses forced to close, raising prospects for the country experiencing its second recession in as many years. .

Separately, Australian Finance Minister Josh Frydenberg said he expects the national economy to shrink in the September quarter, but hopes Australia can avoid a recession if New South Wales can get the outbreak under control soon.

"With respect to the December quarter, it will depend a lot on how successful New South Wales, our largest state economy, is in tackling this virus," Frydenberg told the Australian Broadcasting Corp.

Launching Worldometers this Thursday, the Kangaroo Country recorded a total of 33,726 cases of infection with 923 deaths, and 29,926 patients declared full recovery since last year's pandemic.