Australians are being ordered away from beaches by police helicopters in the country’s strict lockdown.
The armed forces and thousands of police officers are enforcing ‘zero Covid’, which has seen Sydney’s 5million inhabitants under a tough stay-at-home order due to 3,000 infections since the middle of June.
Just 17 per cent of adults in Australia have been vaccinated.
Streets around Sydney’s Coogee and Bondi beaches were packed as thousands of people made the most of the 25C heat, despite pleas from New South Wales premier Gladys Berejiklian to stay at home.
The crowds prompted police to call in air support to order people off the sand.
‘Nearly 1,000 people were spoken to, ensuring they were complying with the local government area’s requirement,’ a police spokesman said.
Officers also checked QR code check-ins, including at large shops around the suburbs.
For weeks, Ms Berejiklian has told Sydneysiders to leave their home only for essentials — exercise, shopping, vital work or getting vaccinated.
‘Assume that you have the virus or that people you come into contact with have the virus,’ she has said.
‘We can’t afford to have people who have the virus going about their business.’
Meanwhile, Prof Bruce Robinson, head of Australia’s National Health and Medical Research Council, is calling for a rapid vaccine rollout to address the snowballing outbreaks.
He warned there was a ‘close to zero’ chance of eliminating the Delta variant and the AstraZeneca jab must be used to quell surging Covid cases.
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