Australian
capital Canberra declared a snap one-week lockdown on Thursday after reporting
its first COVID-19 case in more than a year. The lockdown will come into effect
from 1700 hours local time.

The whole
of Australian Capital Territory will go into lockdown as health authorities
have not been able to trace how the infected person caught the virus. During
the lockdown, residents will be able to leave home only for essential reasons.

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The lockdown
announcement saw crowds gather in supermarkets.

Australia
is struggling to contain its most recent COVID-19 outbreak fueled by the spread
of Delta strain cases in the country. Two of the country’s largest cities — Sydney
and Melbourne — have gone into strict lockdowns. Large parts of New South Wales
are under lockdown.

Extra
military reinforcements have been brought in to secure the streets and ensure
lockdown compliance in Sydney, the New South Wales government has announced.

Addressing
a press conference, state Premier Glayds Berejiklian said, “We are making sure
that we do not leave any stone unturned in relation to extra (military)
resources.”

Nearly 600
unarmed army personnel are assisting local police in enforcing quarantine
orders in Sydney.

Sydney,
which has been under lockdown for nearly seven weeks now, continues to see a
surge in cases. A total of 345 new COVID-19 cases were reported locally on
Thursday. Two men, said to be in their 90s, died.

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Australia’s
vaccination efforts are in need of an urgent ramping up. Fewer than a quarter
of Australians are vaccinated against COVID-19, according to the BBC.

Despite the
surge in coronavirus cases, frustrations over pandemic curbs have fueled anti-lockdown
protests in various parts of the country. Demonstrations have been reported in
Sydney with smaller protests in Melbourne and Brisbane.

Nearly 13
million Australians, around half of the country’s population, are in lockdown.