The military is being deployed in the streets of Sydney on Monday to ensure the enforcement of the extended lockdown declared by the city, while health orders have been extended in Brisbane, Australia’s third largest city, to contain the spread of COVID-19. Authorities will deploy around 300 members of the Australian Defence Force in Sydney after the New South Wales police requested military assistance to enforce COVID containment rules.
Authorities are struggling to stop the spread of the highly contagious Delta variant in Sydney and ensure that residents follow health regulations, with over 3,600 infections reported since mid-June. New South Wales Police Commissioner Mick Fuller stated on Saturday that "police officers will receive assistance from Australian Defence Force personnel in delivering food, door-to-door visits, and conducting checks to ensure compliance with stay-at-home and quarantine orders."
More than five million people in Australia's largest city and surrounding areas are entering their sixth week of lockdown, which is expected to continue until late August. Residents are only permitted to leave their homes for exercise, essential work, health reasons, or to purchase essentials like food. However, many are no longer adhering to the rules, leading to an increase in fines imposed by police for violations.
The Defence Force stated that the latest deployment of troops adds to the 250 military personnel already dispatched to hotels and airports in New South Wales. Meanwhile, millions of people are still under lockdown measures in Brisbane and several surrounding areas until Sunday, following an "upward" trend in cases in the region, reaching 29.
Quarantine orders were scheduled to be lifted on Tuesday. With about 14% of Australia's 25 million population fully vaccinated, authorities continue to rely on lockdown measures to control the outbreak. Prime Minister Scott Morrison noted a series of restrictions and set a goal to fully vaccinate 80% of the eligible population before reopening borders and lifting lockdown measures. Australia has recorded over 34,000 infections and 925 deaths due to the pandemic so far.
