Coronavirus World
NSW raises fines for rule breakers as infections hit daily record
Troops called in to enforce lockdown amid fears that virus will spread to regional areas
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Police officers patrolling the Central Station during the lockdown in Sydney, Australia, last Thursday. As Covid-19 cases surge, it is becoming increasingly unlikely that Sydney will end its nine-week lockdown on Aug 28 as planned. Strict stay-at-home orders have been extended statewide, among other measures.
PHOTO: REUTERS
SYDNEY • Australian police hiked fines for people breaking lockdown rules in Sydney and the rest of its home state New South Wales (NSW) yesterday and strict stay-at-home orders were extended statewide amid a record jump in daily new Covid-19 infections.
Anyone breaching stay-at-home orders or found lying to contact-tracing officials will be fined up to A$5,000 (S$4,988), said state Premier Gladys Berejiklian. The previous fine for breaching quarantine orders was A$1,000.
"We have to accept that this is the worst situation New South Wales has been in since day one. And it's also regrettably, because of that, the worst situation Australia's been in," she said.
Locally transmitted infections surged by a record 466 over the previous 24 hours, eclipsing the previous daily high of 390 set on Friday. Four deaths were recorded yesterday, taking the state's total in the latest outbreak to 42.
It is becoming increasingly unlikely that Sydney will end its nine-week lockdown on Aug 28 as planned. The authorities had been talking about easing some restrictions if enough people are vaccinated and case numbers fall.
"We will get through this, but September and October are going to be very difficult," Ms Berejiklian said. "This is literally a war, and we've known we've been in a war for some time, but never to this extent," she added.
Hundreds more defence personnel will be deployed this week to Sydney to help enforce the lockdown, with officials particularly concerned about the spread of the virus to several regional towns.
A new A$3,000 fine will apply to people entering rural areas without an official permit, while stay-at-home orders were introduced for seven days in regional areas not currently in lockdown.
Weddings and funerals will get a day "grace period" and will be allowed today, but schools across the state will close, officials said.
Australian Retailers Association head Paul Zahra said the statewide lockdown would come as a shock to many regional towns and could cost the economy A$1.5 billion per week.
The permit to enter rural areas will be granted only for certain reasons including authorised work, property inspections or urgent work repairs on a second home.
"The fines are some of the biggest that I've ever seen and we will be issuing them as of today," said New South Wales police commissioner Mick Fuller.
"Those people that have been getting around the orders, taking family vacations to other premises - that is over."
In neighbouring Victoria, where state capital Melbourne is in its second week of an extended lockdown, the authorities reported 21 locally acquired cases, up from 15 a day earlier.
Despite the recent outbreaks, Australia still has far lower Covid-19 numbers than many other countries in the developed world, with just over 38,600 cases and 952 deaths.
REUTERS
