Sydney's two-week lockdown has been extended for another week due to the vulnerability of an Australia population largely unvaccinated against COVID-19, officials said on Wednesday.
"The situation we're in now is largely because we haven't been able to get the vaccine that we need," New South Wales state Health Minister Brad Hazzard said.
The extension of the lockdown, which covers Australia's largest city and some nearby communities, means most children will not return to school next week following their midyear break. Only 9% of Australian adults are fully vaccinated, heightening fears that the delta variant could quickly spread beyond control.
There have been more than 300 infections linked to a limousine driver who tested positive on June 16. He is thought to have been infected while transporting a U.S. flight crew from Sydney airport.