Many Contagious Cases From The Mobility In Communities, Lockdown In Sydney Is Possible To Be Extended

Illustration of deserted Australia due to the COVID-19 lockdown. Wikimedia Commons/Kgbo).

JAKARTA - Australian authorities have opened up the opportunity to extend the lockdown in Sydney, to suppress the outbreak of the Delta variant of COVID-19, even though the largest city in the Kangaroo Country reported a decline in infection cases.

New South Wales State Prime Minister Gladys Berejiklian warned Sydney residents not to be complacent as the city reported 89 new locally transmitted cases, down from Monday's record high of 112 cases.

"One day it's not a trend, the numbers will continue to increase", Berejiklian told a televised conference, urging residents to stay at home except for urgent reasons, cited from Reuters, Tuesday, July 13.

Authorities also reported the death of a man in his 70s, the country's second COVID-19 death this year after a woman in her 90s died in recent days.

What worries health officials most is the fact that many people move around the community when it is contagious, a trend that is likely to send Sydney's lockdown beyond its scheduled end date next Friday.

Low traffic flow in New South Wales, Australia. (Wikimedia Commons/Kgbo)

Chief Health Officer Kerry Chant said at least 21 of the cases reported on Tuesday were people who were outside the community at the time of infection. That number is likely to rise, as officials determine the isolation status for the other 14 cases, Chant said.

"It's still too many people in the community who are contagious", Chant said.

Berejiklian has repeatedly said the underlying number must be close to zero to lift the lockdown measures. On Tuesday, she said residents can expect an update on whether or not the lockdown will be extended on Thursday.

Meanwhile, citywide outbreak hotspots now number in the hundreds, including apartment blocks, home supply stores, health clinics, banks, and butchers.

An apartment building on the outskirts of Bondi Beach was locked under police guard after eight of its occupants tested positive. E-commerce company Amazon.com has temporarily closed its main distribution center in Sydney after two workers tested positive.

People in the western suburbs of Fairfield, the epicenter of the outbreak, were ordered to be tested every three days if they traveled outside the area for work.

Illustration of a residential area in New South Wales, Australia. (Wikimedia Commons/Kgbo)

"Besides, it's not a bad idea to protect yourself," said Phannarith Ing, who runs a small construction company and often leaves the area in search of work.

"I don't mind taking the test, it's just part and parcel of having to travel to work that needs to be done. What options do we have?", he said.

Nonetheless, there were growing concerns on Tuesday that the Sydney outbreak had spread further.

Neighboring Victoria reported three new cases, all family members who had returned to Melbourne from New South Wales. The cases are the first to be reported in Victoria in nearly two weeks.

Residents of an apartment block in Melbourne, Victoria's capital, were ordered into self-isolation after a furniture businessman who was in the building tested positive.

Both Victoria and South Australia are wary of the potential for more cases after two people from Sydney traveling through the state for temporary work unknowingly contracted the infection.

To note, the rapid lockdown, rapid contact tracing, and strict social distancing rules have helped Australia contain the outbreak last year, having recorded fewer cases than any other country. Total Kangaroo Country recorded 31.323 cases of infection, 912 deaths, and 29.534 people recovered, based on Worldometers data Tuesday, July 13.

However, the recent outbreak of the Delta variant is growing rapidly. Infections are approaching 800, less than a month since they were first detected in limousine drivers transporting crew members of overseas airlines.