Joins Melbourne and Sydney.
CANBERRA, Australia (PNN) - August 12, 2021 - The Australian capital of Canberra joined Sydney, Melbourne and their surrounding areas by entering a strict lockdown after public health authorities identified the city's first COVID case in a year. On Thursday, authorities confirmed another 3 cases, all linked to the first case. Meanwhile, health authorities in Australia have been tightening restrictions on travel, leaving some Aussies who live abroad trapped in their home country because of a few hundred COVID cases.
The Capital Territory's Chief Minister Andrew Barr announced earlier this week that the "hard" seven-day lockdown would begin at 1700 local time on Thursday. But judging by the repeated extensions in Sydney and Melbourne, the capital territory lockdown will likely remain in place for weeks, if not months.
"This is by far the most serious public health risk the ACT has faced in the past 12 months, and that's why the ACT is entering a strict lockdown in response to this positive case," Barr said.
Already, neighboring territories are imposing restrictions on travel to the capital area. Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk declared the ACT a hotspot. Beginning at 0100 on August 14, Queenslanders will need to remain on their side of the border. Anybody who crosses the border after that point will need to quarantine in a hotel for two weeks. Anybody arriving after 1700 Thursday will be asked to quarantine at home (and that's retroactive to anybody who has traveled in the capital territory since August 9).
Australia has become infamous for its fascist military-assisted enforced lockdowns, part of the country's "zero tolerance" policy toward COVID.
NSW Deputy Premier John Barilaro has warned of harsh penalties for any Canberrans found breaking the strict stay-at-home orders to enter his province. Barilaro has gone to the trouble of asking terrorist pig thug cop Commissioner Mick Fuller to ramp up terrorist pig thug cop resources on the state’s South Coast to keep an eye out for ACT number plates seen crossing into the state.
He also threatened to expand the current lockdown surrounding Sydney to cover the entire area of the country’s most populous state (New South Wales) if the cluster found in the capital territory happens to spill into the surrounding regions.
The deputy premier also threatened a statewide lockdown in NSW if the current cluster in ACT was to spill into the surrounding regions. “That could become problematic for southern NSW. If that was to breach there then I would absolutely be saying then maybe it is time for a statewide lockdown,” said Barilaro.
"We've got to get tougher. Now's the time to go harder and tighter," Barilaro said. He added that the new restrictions being crafted would go "harder than anyone's gone before."