Umm Muhammed Umar

In Australia, New South Wales Premier, Gladys Berejiklian, said rules would be tightened in the state capital, Sydney. She has warned that this was “the worst situation Australia’s been in” since the Covid-19 pandemic began.

Sydney is currently in lockdown. Australian Defence Force soldiers had been deployed there last month to enforce lockdown measures.

The BBC reports that Berejiklian said, “This is literally a war, and we’ve known we’ve been in a war for some time, but never to this extent.” Covid fines are to increase from AU $1 000 to AU $5 000.

Local transmissions of the virus hit 466 on Saturday, a significant increase from the previous daily high of 390 on Friday. The states Covid 19 related death toll in this outbreak now stands at 42.

According to the BBC, Sydney has been in lockdown for nine weeks. As from Monday, people will be forced to remain within 5km of their home whether shopping, exercising or taking part in outdoor recreation. In a weeks’ time, anyone wishing to travel from Greater Sydney to regional New South Wales will require a permit or face a AU $3 000 fine.

Additional defence personnel are also to be deployed in the hundreds to Sydney, with NSW Police Commissioner, Mick Fuller, saying that these were some of the strongest powers NSW police have ever had. He said, “It’s all about getting ahead of Delta (variant), not chasing it.”