Asia Today: Sydney lockdown extended, masks required outside

SYDNEY – A lockdown successful Australia's largest metropolis was extended passim September and tougher measures to curb the coronavirus's delta variant were imposed Friday, including a curfew and a disguise mandate outdoors.

New South Wales state, which includes Sydney, reported 642 locally acquired infections successful the latest 24-hour period, the 4th consecutive time of tallies exceeding 600.

Sydney has been locked down since precocious June aft the much contagious delta variant was detected successful a limousine operator who became infected portion transporting a U.S. cargo aircrew from Sydney Airport.

Since then, 65 radical person died from COVID-19 successful New South Wales, included 4 overnight.

The Sydney lockdown was to extremity connected Aug. 28, but the authorities authorities announced it volition proceed until Sept. 30.

The full authorities has been successful lockdown since past week due to the fact that the microorganism had dispersed from the city.

A curfew volition use from 9 p.m. to 5 p.m. from Monday successful the worst-affected Sydney suburbs. Wearing masks volition beryllium compulsory crossed the authorities extracurricular homes. Previously, masks weren't compulsory successful each circumstances outdoors.

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Elsewhere successful the Asia-Pacific region:

— New Zealand’s archetypal microorganism outbreak successful six months has dispersed from the largest metropolis of Auckland to the capital, Wellington. Health authorities said Friday that 3 radical successful Wellington who precocious visited Auckland had tested positive. They said the outbreak had grown to 31 cases. The authorities besides expanded the lockdown that had been enactment successful spot Tuesday aft the archetypal assemblage lawsuit was recovered successful Auckland. All of New Zealand volition stay successful lockdown until astatine slightest adjacent Tuesday. Previously it had been a three-day lockdown for the federation and a seven-day lockdown lone for definite areas. Genome investigating has linked the outbreak to an infected traveler who returned from Sydney earlier this period and was quarantined, though wellness authorities don’t yet cognize however the microorganism escaped quarantine. New Zealand is continuing to prosecute an elimination strategy aimed astatine wiping retired the microorganism entirely.

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— South Korea’s caller infections exceeded 2,000 for the 2nd consecutive time arsenic officials extended the highest level of societal distancing restrictions abbreviated of a lockdown successful ample colonisation centers. Seoul, Busan, Daejeon and the confederate edifice land of Jeju volition stay nether the strongest societal distancing rules for astatine slightest different 2 weeks. The rules prohibit backstage societal gatherings of 3 oregon much radical aft 6 p.m. and unit nightclubs and churches to close. Senior Health Ministry authoritative Lee Ki-il said indoor eating hours astatine restaurants and cafes volition beryllium reduced by an hr to until 9 p.m. Some experts accidental officials should tighten societal distancing adjacent further, specified arsenic forcing much white-collar workers to enactment from location and expanding the gathering restrictions to daytime hours.

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