Sydney Covid Cases Ease Amid Tightening Of Lockdown Rules

Millions in Australia's largest city began one of the country's harshest lockdowns since the pandemic started, after nearly five weeks of increasingly tough restrictions failed to quell an outbreak of the highly infectious Delta variant.

Sydney on Friday reported a slight easing in locally acquired cases of COVID-19 amid a further tightening of restrictions in the worst-affected suburbs, with the military summoned to help enforce lockdown rules. Millions in Australia's largest city began one of the country's harshest lockdowns since the pandemic started, after nearly five weeks of increasingly tough restrictions failed to quell an outbreak of the highly infectious Delta variant. Although cases dipped for the first time in nearly a week, state Premier Gladys Berejiklian warned cases could again rise due to the growing number of people positive with the Delta strain moving around in the community. "We are expecting to see those numbers bounce around," Berejiklian told reporters in Sydney.