Vaccinations Alone Will Not End Sydney's COVID-19 Lockdown: Scott Morrison

Scott Morrison hoped the extended lockdown and tougher curbs on movement enforced in the worst affected regions of Sydney could contain the "incredibly virulent" Delta variant.

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said vaccinations alone would not bring an end to a COVID-19 lockdown in Sydney as residents of the country's largest city face another month under tough curbs to stamp out an outbreak of the Delta variant. "I mean, it can certainly help ... the low rates (of vaccination) we have had there need to lift and that will certainly help the efforts with the lockdown but on its own it won't stop the lockdown," Morrison told Nine News on Thursday. Morrison hoped the extended lockdown and tougher curbs on movement enforced in the worst affected regions of Sydney could contain the "incredibly virulent" Delta variant. With only about 17% of people above 16 years fully vaccinated in New South Wales state, which Sydney is the capital of, infections have steadily risen despite Greater Sydney being in lockdown since June 26.