- Melbourne’s week-long lockdown will run for another seven days, as daily COVID-19 cases numbers remain in the double digits
- Twenty new cases of the virus have been recorded on Wednesday, with six people potentially out in the community while infectious
- The lockdown restrictions in NSW have also been extended to the regional town of Dubbo, as 344 new cases of COVID-19 are recorded in the state
- Another two people died of the virus in Sydney overnight, including a man in his 30s from the Northern Beaches who had underlying health conditions
- Queensland notched up four new cases of COVID-19 on Wednesday, with state authorities confirming Cairns will come out of lockdown this afternoon
Melbourne’s week-long lockdown has been extended for an additional seven days, as daily COVID-19 cases numbers remain in the double digits.
Meanwhile, a man in his 30s from Sydney’s Northern Beaches has died overnight after contracting the virus.
Longer lockdown
Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews announced on Wednesday that Melbourne’s sixth consecutive lockdown would be extended.
The decision comes as another 20 cases of COVID-19 were recorded in the city in the last 24 hours, with up to six of those cases out in the community while infectious.
Due to the current level of community transmission of coronavirus in Victoria from the recent NSW incursions, the CHO has declared that the current lockdown across Melbourne will be extended until at least 11.59pm 19 Aug, to stamp out this Delta variant and keep Victorians safe. pic.twitter.com/KWzMWWK3ZT
— Dan Andrews (@DanielAndrewsMP) August 11, 2021
Premier Andrews said border restrictions between NSW and Victoria would be tightened as well, to try and stop the virus from spreading into the regions.
“If this virus can get from Sydney to Byron Bay, to Dubbo, to Armidale, to Tamworth then only a fool would think it can’t get to Albury. It absolutely can,” Mr Andrews said.
“The inconvenience of having to get a permit is nothing compared to being locked down.”
Death toll rises
The lockdown restrictions in NSW have been extended to the regional town of Dubbo, after a woman in the region tested positive to the virus.
A total of 344 new cases of COVID-19 were recorded in the state on Wednesday, along with another two deaths.
NSW Chief Health Officer Kerry Chant said one of the deaths involved a man his 90s, as well as a man in his 30s.
“In terms of deaths, sadly, two deaths, a gentleman in his 30s from northern Sydney died in the Northern Beaches Hospital yesterday,” Dr Chant said.
“He was not vaccinated but had some significant underlying health conditions, and also a man in his 90s from South Western Sydney died at Concord Hospital.”
More than 30 people have died since this latest outbreak began in Bondi in mid-June, including a 27-year-old man who died at his home in Sydney.
In neighbouring Queensland, four new locally acquired cases of COVID-19 were announced on Wednesday, all of which were linked.
State authorities also confirmed Cairns would come out of lockdown this afternoon, after no new cases were linked to a taxi-driver who tested positive in the region last weekend.