Australia reports 2,357 new Covid-19 cases as vaccination push continues

Australia reports 2,357 new Covid-19 cases as vaccination push continues

by Joseph Anthony
172 views

Police officers in protective face masks patrol a public transit station in the city centre during a lockdown to curb the spread of a coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Sydney,

Australia reported 2,357 new cases of the Delta coronavirus variant on Saturday, as the push to vaccinate the countryโ€™s population continues in order to end lockdowns and allow for the reopening of international borders.

An 18-month ban on international travel is set to be gradually lifted from next month for some states when 80% of people aged 16 and over are fully vaccinated.
Fifty-five percent of Australians were fully inoculated as of Friday, but nearly 80% have received at least one shot.
Victoria state, which reported a record 1,488 new Covid-19 cases on Saturday, on Friday ordered about 1 million employees across industries to receive at least one dose of a Covid vaccine by Oct. 15 to keep working.
Police in Melbourne, the state capital, on Saturday dispersed a small rally against the mandate and made several arrests for breaking public health rules that ban large public gatherings.
The state, with about a quarter of Australiaโ€™s 25 million people, has been in a hard lockdown since Aug. 5.
New South Wales state, battling the countryโ€™s biggest Delta outbreak, reported 813 cases and 10 deaths on Saturday. Nearly 88% of the stateโ€™s eligible population have been partially vaccinated and 65% fully.
Sydney, the state capital, has been under lockdown since June 26, with some restrictions scheduled to be lifted on Oct. 11 and more later in the month.
Australiaโ€™s most populous state is expected to be the first to fully open up once 80% vaccination is reached, but authorities have warned case numbers are expected to soar and hospitals will come under strain as Australia learns to live with Covid-19.
โ€œIโ€™m worried about how we are going to cope with it culturally,โ€ Kirsty Keating, an Australia citizen originally from Scotland who lives in Sydney, told Reuters about the countryโ€™s reopening.
โ€œMost of the people I know overseas have lived with Covid and we havenโ€™t, and I think it could put a pressure on our health system and make everybody very tense.โ€
Saturdayโ€™s other infections were reported in the Australian Capital Territory, Queensland and South Australia.
Australia closed its international borders in March 2020. Since then, only a limited number of people have been granted a permit to leave the country for critical business or humanitarian reasons.
Citizens and permanent residents abroad have been allowed to return, subject to quotas and a mandatory 14-day quarantine period in a hotel at their expense.
โ€œI think itโ€™s great coming up to Christmas that people get to reunite with their families,โ€ Peter Hendriks, a priest in Sydney, told Reuters about the decision to reopen borders.
REUTERS

You may also like

Leave a Comment

Chijos News is an independent online publication that provides readers with the latest breaking Nigerian news, world news, entertainment, sports, business, and many more.

@2024 – Chijosnews.com. All Rights Reserved.

-
00:00
00:00
Update Required Flash plugin
-
00:00
00:00