Sydney May Deploy Military Troops to Tighten COVID-19 Lockdown
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – More troops may be deployed to patrol the streets of Sydney to deter lockdown violators, officials said amid concerns the virus is spreading beyond the area, with the Australian capital, Canberra ushered into a snap lockdown.
Extra Australian military personnel may be called in to ensure compliance with lockdown rules in Sydney, the New South Wales state government said on Thursday, as the highly infectious Delta coronavirus variant spreads into regional areas.
According to Reuters, the move comes as Australia's capital city, Canberra, 260 km (160 miles) southwest of Sydney, announced a snap one-week lockdown from Thursday evening after reporting its first locally acquired case of COVID-19 in more than a year.
Australia is battling to get on top of the fast-moving Delta strain that has plunged two of its largest cities - Sydney and Melbourne - into hard lockdowns.
"We are making sure that we do not leave any stone unturned in relation to extra (military) resources," New South Wales (NSW) state Premier Gladys Berejiklian said at a media conference in Sydney, the state capital.
A spokesperson for Defence Minister Peter Dutton told Reuters the NSW government has indicated it would soon formally request additional military support.
It’s unclear so far how many soldiers will join the 580 unarmed army personnel who have already been deployed to the city. As part of the ongoing crackdown, state police have issued 407 fines, including 176 for failing to wear a mask, within the last 24 hours.
Several regional towns scattered across NSW have also been forced into snap lockdowns after fresh cases, raising fears the virus is spreading out of control.
Despite seven weeks of lockdown in Sydney, daily infections continue to hover near record highs. NSW on Thursday reported 345 new locally acquired cases, most of them in Sydney, up from 344 a day earlier.
Sydney’s outbreak has also been linked to the first local case of the virus in the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) in more than a year. The patient is reported to be a man in his 20s.
The case triggered a snap one-week lockdown for the whole of Canberra, with ACT Chief Minister Andrew Barr calling it “the most serious public health risk” the area has faced in a year.
The lockdown resulted in the closure of schools, except for the children of essential workers. The authorities also reportedly told local teachers to prepare to switch to online learning in case the lockdown is extended.