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Sydney records major spike in cases as Australia turns to crisis mode
Australia’s most populated state is heading into a bigger crisis, with Sydney recording 390 new cases today
The Premier of New South Wales, Gladys Berejiklian has been told by other state leaders that she must consult national cabinet with an agreed plan to manage a rapidly growing outbreak of COVID-19 in her state.
According to the The Sydney Morning sources with knowledge of the national cabinet discussions, state that Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews and West Australian Premier Mark McGowan warned against unilateral action from individual states.
Under the national plan, states are supposed to use lockdowns and restrictions to pursue zero daily cases of COVID-19 transmitted in the community until at least 70 per cent of eligible Australians are vaccinated, with further freedoms granted at 80 per cent.
“We are currently in lockdown. Lockdown plus some level of easing of restrictions is possible once we get to 50 per cent and 60 per cent rates of vaccination,”
Ms Berejiklian said.
Melbourne gets tough on Sydney as COVID lockdowns continue in both states
Victoria’s lockdown was extended for another week on Wednesday after the state recorded another 20 cases of coronavirus, with six of those people in the community during their infectious period.
The Premier of Victoria has also moved to further tighten borders with New South Wales as the state continues to record high numbers of COVID-19.
Sydney’s COVID cluster spreads to Regional New South Wales
The regional city of Dubbo has recorded 25 cases. Five additional cases were also recorded in the Hunter New England area.
Traces of coronavirus have been detected in sewage in Bathurst, Parkes and Bourke.
No new cases were recorded in Armidale, Tamworth and the Northern Rivers.Ms Berejiklian said case numbers were stabilising in the Fairfield and Canterbury-Bankstown region, but were on the rise in Blacktown and Mount Druitt.
The Capital in Lockdown
Australia’s capital of Canberra has also been plunged into lockdown after new cases had been detected in the ACT.
Three further cases of COVID-19 were recorded in Canberra as the city entered a snap seven-day lockdown.
Ticker News can confirm the three additional cases detected are all close contacts of the original positive case found in a man in his 20s yesterday.
The man is the capital’s first local case of COVID-19 in more than a year and is believed to have been infectious in the community.
This outbreak total now stands at four positive infections.
