As all of NSW awakes to lockdown, the military is set to play an increasing role in battling the COVID-19 spread and enforcing restrictions.Â
A further 500 Australian Defence Force troops, in addition to the 300 already deployed, will assist with compliance checks and patrols in NSW while police ramp up operations across the state.
Police Minister David Elliott says Commissioner Mick Fuller requested the ADF reinforcements along with the boost to health orders.
“We’ve had to tighten the current public health orders because of the minority who exploited them,” he said in a statement on Saturday.
Defence personnel have also been assigned in Victoria to assist authorities with enforcement.
NSW reported 466 new locally-acquired cases in the 24 hours to 8pm on Friday, the state’s worst day during the pandemic so far.
Following an increase in numbers in rural regions, and virus fragments found in sewage systems in areas with no known cases, Deputy Premier John Barilaro announced the precautionary lockdown on Twitter.
Victoria posted 21 fresh infections, Queensland six, and the ACT one.
The new case takes the total in the ACT’s outbreak to seven, with the territory in lockdown until at least Thursday.
Victoria will launch a series of new drive-in vaccination centres across Melbourne after almost half of the cases recorded were infectious while in the community.
Australia’s total vaccination count has passed 15 million doses, with 264,802 shots administered in the 24 hours to Friday evening and about 1.5 million over the past week.
The Tasmanian government on Saturday confirmed COVID-19 vaccinations will become mandatory for aged care workers from September 17.
“As has been consistently seen interstate and across the world, aged care homes are especially vulnerable to the serious impacts of COVID-19,” Premier Peter Gutwein said in a statement.
Labor health spokesman Mark Butler lashed Prime Minister Scott Morrison for presiding over the slowest vaccine rollout in a developed nation.
While the rising numbers in western Sydney were deeply concerning, Mr Butler said Indigenous Australians had been promised full vaccination by the onset of winter.
Yet in western NSW only eight per cent of vulnerable Indigenous Australians, many with underlying health conditions, had received both doses.
On Friday Mr Morrison spoke with the premiers about the Sydney outbreak which has led to Delta outbreaks in other states and territories.
He pleaded with Australians to do right by their neighbours and abide by restrictions.Â
AAP
