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Sydney locked down for another month as COVID-19 cases rise
Lockdown rules were due to end on Friday but restrictions will now run until Aug 28, state Premier Gladys Berejiklian told reporters in Sydney.
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Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison (center) sits between Brendan Murphy (left), Chief Medical Officer of Australia, and the Premier of New South Wales Gladys Berejiklian, during a media conference after the Meeting of the Council of Australian Governments (COAG) at Parramatta Stadium, in western Sydney on March 13, 2020. (AFP/David Gray)
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ustralia's New South Wales state authorities on Wednesday extended a COVID-19 lockdown in state capital Sydney for another month after weeks-long curbs failed to contain an outbreak of the highly infectious Delta virus variant.
Lockdown rules were due to end on Friday but restrictions will now run until Aug 28, state Premier Gladys Berejiklian told reporters in Sydney.
A total of 177 new locally acquired cases were detected in New South Wales, up from 172 a day earlier.
Sydney is struggling to control its worst outbreak of the year from a flare up of infections fuelled by the highly infectious Delta virus strain, with officials imploring residents to remain home except for urgent reasons.
With the weeks-long lockdown due to end in three days, Australian media said authorities will announce a four-week extension on Wednesday after the tough curbs failed to bring cases down.
The office of the premier of New South Wales did not immediately respond to a request seeking comment.
Of particular concern is the growing number of people positive with the Delta strain moving around in the community. Unless that number returns to near zero, tough restrictions would continue, authorities have said.
Around one in three new cases detected over the last several days have spent time in the community while infectious.
Read also: COVID-19 curbs to end in state of Victoria, remain in Sydney
As Sydney braces for tougher restrictions for most of August, Victoria and South Australia states came out of lockdown restrictions on Wednesday after getting on top of virus outbreaks.
Australia has kept its COVID-19 numbers relatively low, with just over 33,200 cases and 920 deaths since the pandemic began, but the fast-moving Delta strain and low vaccination coverage have frustrated residents.
Many Sydney businesses have been forced to shut, with the lockdown expected to take a heavy toll on Australia's A$2 trillion ($1.50 trillion) economy.
Finance Minister Simon Birmingham said the federal government could provide more support to employers depending on the decisions made by New South Wales authorities.
