SYDNEY (AP) – Sydney’s northern coast will enter the same lacunae imposed during the onset of the Kovid-1p epidemic in March as the area’s cluster of cases grows to 41.
From Saturday noon to midnight Wednesday, residents will only be allowed to leave their home for five basic reasons: medical care, exercise, grocery store, work or compassionate care.
An additional 23 cases were reported in 24 hours, of which 10 have already been announced, taking the new case to 41. All but these belong to the so-called Avalon cluster, named after a community of 10,000 people on the northern coast. 40 kilometers (25 miles) from downtown Sydney.
New South Wales state premier Gladys Berezklian says sanctions are needed if Sydney has any hope of a semi-normal Christmas.
“We hope it will give us enough time to get to the top of the virus, so that we can have ease for Christmas and New Year later.”
The new cases came as health officials told hundreds of gym crews on Sydney’s north coast to test and evacuate immediately. The gym is being added to a long list of venues, including the Lan Bowling Club, visited by confirmed cases published by authorities on Friday.
Western Australia, Australia, Victoria, Queensland, Tasmania and the Northern Territories took action to prevent cases of other states jumping borders by placing more barriers for New South Wales residents. Most of the people involved in the 14-day quarantine periods for those traveling to the northern coast of those states.
Elsewhere in the Asia-Pacific region:
– Long lines formed around coronavirus testing sites in the South Korean capital, Seoul, as another 1,053 cases were reported in the country, a figure of more than 1,000 for the fourth day. The viral resurgence has raised questions about the control that has erupted from the government. Authorities are still deciding whether to maximize social distance, fearing it could further strain the economy. The figures released by the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency on Saturday put the national case load at 48,570, with nearly 7,000 cases joined in the past week alone. Fourteen COVID-19 patients have died in the last 24 hours, bringing the death toll to 659. The death toll is expected to rise due to a lack of intensive care beds in the severely affected Seoul metropolitan area. The KDCA said at least 275 of the 13,577 active patients are in critical or severe condition, the highest since the outbreak. Officials say at least six people have died from their homes or long-term care facilities, as beds in hospitals have run out. Thousands of people are standing at testing centers in front of Soul City Hall and other public spaces as health officials expand a massive testing program to detect more virus carriers. Authorities are temporarily offering free tests to anyone in the capital area despite the symptoms or apparent causes of the infection.
– As the country prepares for large-scale COVID-19 vaccinations in the new year, India’s coronavirus cases have crossed the 100 million mark, the lowest level of new infections in three months. In the last 24 hours, the additional cases dropped from a peak of 100,000 in mid-September to 25,152. The epidemic has infected more than 1.1 billion people in India, the second most affected by the United States. The government’s health expert says India is crossing its fingers as the number of cases increases in the winter months. India is home to some of the largest vaccine manufacturers in the world and the country has five vaccine candidates at different stages. India aims to vaccinate 250 crore people by July 2021.
– China says it will soon begin coronavirus inoculation for health care, transport and border control workers. The vice-minister of the National Health Commission says the government is giving priority to those most at risk. Those working in logistics and in markets selling fresh meat and seafood will also be given a higher place in the list of vaccinators with the elderly and underlying medical conditions. Vaccines manufactured by Chinese companies are now pending approval in Turkey, Indonesia and Brazil, as manufacturers continue to test the vaccine in more than a dozen countries, including Russia, Egypt and Mexico. The UAE announced last week that the vaccine is 86% effective in disclosing such information to the public. Even before the market received final approval, one program was criticized by critics for not being transparent about safety, effectiveness or scientific competence.
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