Australia, Sydney back to lockdown for Delta variant. Skip the “air bubble” with New Zealand

Sydney, Australia’s largest city, begins two weeks of confinement today after recording more than 80 cases of Covid-19 linked to the infectious delta variant. The infection originated from the crew of a plane that was flown from the airport to a quarantine hotel. The new cases surprised Sydney, which is back to normal after a very few months of cases.

More than five million citizens and hundreds of thousands of coastal residents will have to stay at home and will only be able to go out to buy essential goods, get medical care, exercise, go to school or go to work if they cannot carry out their occupation remotely.

“Alternative Delta is proving to be a really formidable enemy, no matter what defensive measures we take, the virus seems to know how to fight back,” South Wales Health Minister Brad Hazzard told reporters. Australia is one of the world’s most successful countries in containing the epidemic, with 910 deaths and less than 30,000 cases in a population of 25 million.

As a result of the deteriorating situation in Sydney, New Zealand suspended an “air bubble” that allowed non-quarantine flights with Australia for three days. This was announced by the New Zealand minister responsible for combating Covid-19, Chris Hepkins, who explained that the suspension was working to adopt the necessary countermeasures “to make the bubble safer”.