Half of Australia back under lockdown as Delta cases surge

Half of Australia’s population is back in lockdown after South Australia state joined Victoria and New South Wales in ordering residents to stay at home as the delta variant leaks across the country.

South Australia later Tuesday will impose Australia’s strictest lockdown since the start of the pandemic after recording two new cases in the community. Residents must stay within 2.5 kilometers of their homes and comply with a 6p.m. curfew as part of the draconian measures introduced to halt an outbreak seeded from a returned traveller.

Lockdowns sweeping south-east Australia are hampering economic recovery as everything from nail salons to construction sites fall silent. The economy may contract 0.7% this quarter should Sydney and Melbourne’s stay-at-home orders last for eight and three weeks respectively, Westpac Banking Corp. chief economist Bill Evans said in a note.


Australia’s tardy vaccine rollout — one of the slowest among the 38 OECD nations — has made the country particularly vulnerable to the delta variant, which has increasingly leaked out of the quarantine system for overseas arrivals, forcing health authorities to impose snap lockdowns to maintain Australia’s ‘Covid Zero' strategy. Australia has administered enough doses for 20% of its population, according to the Bloomberg Vaccine Tracker, compared with 53% in the US.