Sydney Lockdown Extended Another Week as Delta Variant Continues to Spread

A food delivery worker rides in the central business district of Sydney as Australia's largest city entered a two-week lockdown to contain an outbreak of the highly contagious Delta variant on June 26, 2021. Saeed Khan/AFP via Getty Images

The New South Wales (NSW) government has extended its CCP virus lockdown measures until July 16, dashing the hopes of the five million people currently enduring stay-at-home orders in Greater Sydney and its surrounds during the school holiday period.

The lockdown extension comes as the state recorded 27 new local COVID-19 cases for the 24 hours to 8 p.m. on Tuesday, with only 13 in isolation for the entirety of their infectious period. The state has continued to record more than a dozen new cases for several days.