Corona pandemic: Australia is sticking to lockdown

Australian Prime Minister Morrison justified the lockdown measures in view of the rising number of infections and the low vaccination rate. Hundreds of arrests were made on Saturday during protests against the restrictions.

Lockdowns will continue until at least 70 percent of the population are fully vaccinated. Prime Minister Scott Morrison defended the strict measures to combat corona during a television appearance. So far, almost a third of Australians over the age of 16 have been fully vaccinated. More than half of the population is in lockdown, the country’s borders have been closed for a year and a half.

Hundreds of arrests during protests

According to the police, the most violent riots in 20 years broke out in the city of Melbourne on Saturday: 4,000 people were on the streets and more than 200 demonstrators were arrested. The police used pepper spray. Dozens of people were also arrested in Sydney, the country’s largest city, and the police had put up roadblocks.

Today Australia reported a new high in Covid 19 cases: 914 people have been infected with the Delta variant in the past 24 hours.

Lockdown until at least the end of September

There is a nightly curfew from 9:00 p.m. in the state of Victoria. Initially, this only applied in Melbourne. In Sydney, the five million residents have been locked down for eight weeks and are only allowed to leave their homes in urgent cases. The armed forces and police are on duty in the districts particularly affected to monitor compliance with the measures. These should apply until at least the end of September.