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Australia’s Covid-19 Delta Outbreak Worsening Despite Lockdown Measures 

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Sydney, Australia is already debating extending their current lockdown as Australian health officials continue to report a daily rise in Covid-19 cases. These daily rises are specifically fueled by the highly contagious Delta variant of the virus that’s been spreading around the world. 

New South Wales state reported 112 new cases of Covid-19 despite the fact that Sydney, the country’s largest city, is currently entering its third week of lockdown. Case numbers have been reaching record highs every day. New infections luckily dropped slightly this Sunday, from 45 to 34. 

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State Premier Gladys Berejiklian said the “progress of that figure in coming days would determine whether Sydney’s lockdown would be extended. That’s the number we need to get as close to zero as possible. It is really up to us. The health expert advice will be based on what those numbers look like. I can’t be clearer than that.”

Total infections in this particular outbreak are reaching 700. 63 individuals are currently hospitalized while 18 are in intensive care. 

Lockdown measures in Sydney include school closures, stay-at-home orders, and of course mask mandates and social distancing procedures anywhere essential workers are present. Many small business owners are worried about the economic impact of another lockdown if the government doesn’t provide any economic assistance. 

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Australia was able to previously contain their Covid-19 flare-ups with strict lockdowns, speedy contact tracing efforts, and social distancing rules. The nation has experienced 31,200 cases and 911 deaths since the pandemic began. 

Only 11% of Australia’s adult population of 20.5 million have been fully vaccinated. Critics believe a lack of communication with the public and vaccine shortages in general have led to the outbreak the nation is currently enduring. 

Federal health guidance in Australia currently recommends the AstraZeneca vaccine be restricted to individuals over the age of 60 while the Pfizer vaccine is limited to individuals between the age of 40 and 60. 

In New South Wales, vaccine centers and pharmacies will be able to give the AstraZeneca vaccine to anyone over the age of 40. The state government also claimed they would be opening a vaccination hub in western Sydney, which is the epicenter of the outbreak.

More Than 18,000 Evacuated In Australia Due To ‘Life-Threatening’ Floods 

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More than 18,000 Australian residents have been evacuated in New South Wales (NSW) due to heavy rains and major flooding in the area which is causing some areas of the nation to resemble “island seas,” according to residents. 

The heavy rains have been impacting NSW since last Thursday but the flooding got really severe over the weekend. Images began circulating online of full roads, trees, and houses, completely submerged in water. Up to 38 areas across the state are considered to be natural disaster areas currently and 19 evacuation orders have been issued so far, according to NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian who spoke at a news conference this morning. 

According to the Australian Bureau of Meteorology, “much of the flooding has hit the mid-north coast, from Hunter Valley near Sydney to Coffs Harbour, but severe weather warnings have also been extended to include districts on the state’s south coast for Tuesday as the rains are forecast to shift. Heavy rainfall is also developing inland in the north of the state Monday, while in the east, life-threatening extensive flooding and heavy rain continues.”

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A severe weather warning has also been issued for Queensland which neighbors NSW.  According to Premier Berejiklian, the homes that were devastated by the 2019/2020 wildfires now have to cope with extreme flooding conditions.

“Communities who were battered by the bushfires are now being battered by the floods and a deep drought prior to that. I don’t know anytime in our state’s history where we’ve had these extreme weather conditions in such quick succession in the middle of a pandemic. You’ve been through three or four incidents which are life changing on top of each other. It can make you feel like you are at breaking point.”

Some places have seen close to 40 inches of rain in less than a week, and increased rainfall of about 2-4 inches is expected to hit Sydney this whole week. The worst-affected areas so far have seen rainfall that has been up to five times as strong as what the nation normally expects for this time of year. 

Bureau of Meteorology’s Jane Golding said in a news conference that “the huge rainfalls have been driven by two weather systems colliding. A slow moving coastal trough and the approach of another system coming through from the west is pumping down tropical moisture into the state, which is then being whipped up by strong easterly winds.”

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“With this approach of this new system coming from the west which is approaching today, we’re expecting this heavy rain to fall in areas that haven’t seen as much rain over the last few days, and we’re expecting the flood risk to develop in those areas as well,” she explained. 

Justin Robinson is the Bureau of Meteorology’s national flood manager, who recently spoke to the press about his extensive amount of experience with flooding in Australia. 

“I’ve been a flood forecaster for 20 years and this is probably the worst flooding I’ve ever seen. We’ve got a flood watch that covers all the way from the Queensland border down to the Victoria border, along all those coastal rivers.”

The NSW emergency service networks have said many of the areas across the state “resemble an island sea,” and they’re already preparing for the massive clean up effort that will need to be done once all the rain finally subsides. Premier Berejiklian claimed she has spoken with Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison about calling in the military for backup when it comes time to clean and recover.

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Australia Is Finally Getting Some Much Needed Rainfall

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Australia’s bushfire crisis has been ongoing for over three months now, and it’s truly been one of the most intense and devastating natural disasters in history. Over one billion animals have perished, and over 2 million hectares of land have been destroyed. However, after weeks upon weeks of waiting for a break from the flames, it began to rain over the east coast of Australia. 

Sydney, Australia, along with other cities residing on the east coast, recorded its wettest day in over 15 months this Friday (2/7/20), somewhat of a miracle for the continent. The large amount of rain has reportedly extinguished 20 of the 60 fires in the state of New South Wales (NSW), where a majority of the fires were. That’s one-third of the fires that were ravaging Australia throughout the past few months, and local meteorologists are predicting more fires will be put out as well. 

NSW in general has been dealing with a wide-spread drought for the past three years, which was a major contributing factor to how intense and fast the bushfires spread.

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SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA – FEBRUARY 07

“We were over the moon to see the state’s forecast for a week-long drenching finally. This is that constant, steady, decent rainfall that we’ve been praying for for so long. This isn’t just one of those scattered showers we saw a month ago. This is really helping our firefighters, and in some places, giving them a well-needed rest,” said NSW Rural Fire Service (NSWRFS) spokeswoman Angela Burford to BBC.

While NSW is receiving some much needed relief from their fires, the rest of Australia is still struggling to control the flames. Canberra, the capital city of Australia, and other cities that are more inland and southern are still dealing with some of the largest fires that the continent has experienced during this entire epidemic; at one point Canberra was completely shut down due to the extensive damage and dangerous air conditions.

While Canberra has seen a few scattered rainstorms themselves, it doesn’t even compare to what NSW has been experiencing. In an almost ironic turn of events, the amount of rainfall that’s occurring on Australia’s east coast is actually becoming an issue, as multiple flash-flooding warnings have been dealt out within the past week. 

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According to local meteorology reports for the upcoming week, there’s a severe wet weather warning for over 600 miles worth of land in Australia, all predominantly on the east coast. The warning calls for heavy rainfall, high-speed damaging winds, and “abnormally high tides.” Locals from NSW have even stated that the rainfall so far has seemed to be heavier than when they experienced a cyclone storm two years ago; both a blessing and a curse. 

As previously stated these severe wet weather warnings are being enforced through next week, so while local meteorologists are emphasizing safety over everything, it is predicted that these storms will contain a majority of NSW’s fires. 

“This has been an absolute welcome disruption to the weather pattern and a massive reprieve and relief to so many people. While hotter and drier conditions would likely return in the coming weeks, this particular period of rain is breaking the back of this fire season, no doubt,” said NSWRFS Commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons on Friday.

Bushfire season traditionally lasts until April in Australia. Obviously the extreme fires that have occurred during this year’s season are nothing like what the continent normally experiences. Officials know based on past fire seasons that the worst of it is still yet to come, and they continue to prepare for new fires to start everyday.

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Australia Welcomes Tourists in Aftermath of Wildfires

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Wildfires have been raging throughout Australia for several weeks now, though fortunately, they are fewer in number now as many of them were extinguished by recent storms. Unfortunately, the timing of the wildfires coincided with the country’s tourism season, meaning that tourism operators have lost a tremendous amount of money as tourists have canceled their trips due to the ongoing natural disaster. As such, tourism agencies have intensified their efforts to attract tourists to various parts of the country by showing that many areas of the country were unaffected by the fires, and retain the attractions that have drawn tremendous crowds of tourists in the past. Tourism helps to stimulate the local economy, which is essential as Australia recovers from an environmental and economic disaster. It’s most helpful to visit the areas that have been hit hardest by the fires, which include Victoria and New South Wales.

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CNN has compiled a list of the top cities to visit in Australia for 2020. At the top of their list is Canberra, the Australian capital. Canberra isn’t generally considered a top tourist destination, but the city has many local attractions that can appeal to vacationers, including the Parliament House, the Australian War Memorial, and the National Gallery. By visiting these landmark locations, tourists can learn about the history of Australia and even witness Australian politics in action at the country’s primary law-making body. The National Gallery seeks to preserve the culture and lifestyle of Australia’s indigenous people, as well as art from around the country and the world. The National Gallery hosts a number of different events throughout the year and is a great place to visit during a vacation in Australia.

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A place in Australia that is a favorite spot for relaxation among tourists is Batemans Bay in New South Wales, where visitors can enjoy the view where the Clyde River meets the sea and enjoy outdoor meals at local eateries. Batemans Bay is home to Birdland Animal Park, a nature preserve where tourists can engage with local wildlife, including baby wombats. Recently, Birdland Animal Park has seen a sharp decline in visitors, and the business is struggling in a way that it hasn’t in twenty-six years, so the park would surely appreciate an influx of tourists from around the world. The park has not seen any damage from the wildfires, though the surrounding forests have, but locals expect these forests to start to regrow within a few months.

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Those who are more interested in visiting the beach will enjoy Moruya, which is a short drive south from Batemans Bay. Here, visitors can board a seaplane with South Coast Seaplanes to view the beautiful continent from above, though these views are likely to contain dead forests blackened by wildfires. Also, visitors can fly over the nearby Montague Island and witness a fur seal colony from above.

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Australia’s Bushfires Shut Down Capital City of Canberra

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The bushfires in Australia have now claimed the lives of half a billion animals, 24 people, and caused extensive damage that’s almost unfathomable to imagine. These fires have been taking over the continent for a month now, and currently are burning over 13 million acres of land. Countless celebrities and individuals with high social media followings have been calling on everyone to donate what they can to relief efforts, as conditions are progressively getting worse every day. 

Recently, Canberra, the capital of Australia, was forced to shut down the Australian federal government department that is responsible for management of nationwide emergencies due to poor air quality conditions. Canberra had a rating of 340 on the Air Quality Index; for comparison, “good” air quality is considered anywhere from 0 to 50 on the Index scale. 

The Department of Home Affairs and the Department of Health branches that are located in Canberra have been closed and all non-essential staff have been told to evacuate. In general, the city has shut down most services due to the poor environmental conditions. This includes all childcare services, galleries, retail locations, schools, etc. Safety and health have now become the main priority for all living things nationwide.  

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There’s approximately up to 200 active fires still burning in Australia, almost half remain uncontained. Australia is used to having a “fire season” alongside the winter months (January and February) however, the fires have already been blazing for over a month now, making this one of the worst fire seasons to date. Typically, fire season in Australia doesn’t affect residential areas and refreshes certain plots of land to grow new crops through the burning. Now, it’s uncertain what results will come following the containment of all the fires. 

“The crisis is not over, there are months to go. [I’m] establishing a $2 billion (1.39 billion American dollars) National Bushfire Recovery Agency to help people hit by the unprecedented bushfires get the support they needed. It’s a long road ahead and we will be with these communities every step of the way as they rebuild. The funds will be used to help get communities back on their feet by rebuilding roads, mental health support, and helping restore the local environment,” said Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison in a release. 

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Along with Prime Minister Morrison’s announcement, the New South Wales (NSW) police department also made a statement in which they claimed that they’re already taking legal action against 183 people for “bushfire-related offences.” The charges began in November, when the fires initially started, and the NSW police have stated 24 individuals have specifically been charged over “deliberately-lit fires” that spread out of control.  

The Australian Defence Force also made a statement this past weekend in which they said they would be increasing overall fire support and bringing in over 3,000 army reservists to help contain the natural disaster. One of the biggest Australian Navy vessels, HMAS Adelaide, is being used to evacuate up to 5,000 australians.

The conditions are growing worse. The photos online depict the entire continent to look like that of another planet. The sky is an amber red hue, smoke makes it impossible to see more than 100 feet in front of you, and citizens are constantly taking to the street to evacuate. There are countless resources that anyone from anywhere can use to help with relief efforts and all the sites are linked right here. As the fires continue to blaze and destroy the continent, more awareness is being brought to the devastation. Hopefully those with platforms continue to speak up, and those actually there remain safe and sound until this is completely contained.

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Sydney’s New Year’s Eve Fireworks Will Go On Despite Bushfire Concerns

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Sydney, Australia is known for its annual New Year’s Eve fireworks display. However, this year over a quarter of a million people have signed a petition to cancel the show in response to the massive wild/bush fires that have been affecting the area recently. The petition was made through Change.org and currently has just over 276,000 signatures with a goal of 300,000. In the description the petition states that the funds that would typically be spent on the extravagant display should be redistributed in order to help with recovery efforts from the devastating fires, as well as preventative measures for the future. 

“I’ve been moved by the outpouring of support and care for the community but the event will continue as planned. Our fireworks are planned 15 months in advance and most of the budget — which is largely allocated to crowd safety and cleaning measures — has already been spent.” Sydney’s Lord Mayor Clover Moore said in a statement. 

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It’s likely that with this statement from the mayor and with there only being one day until New Year’s Eve, the fireworks show will still go on, however, the message Australia’s citizens are attempting to spread should still be heard, so their fight is continuing. Sydney is the capital of New South Wales (NSW), where a majority of these fires have been taking place. 

Linda McCormich is the NSW resident who started the online petition and is leading the fight against the display. She wants the money to go to “farmers and firefighters to save Australia’s wildlife. The fireworks could traumatise some people as there is enough smoke in the air.” Additionally, the petition states that in 2018, Sydney spent close to $5.8 million on the display alone, which McCormich and her supporters believe would be more than enough to rebuild and refurbish some of the major damage done across the country. 

Within the past two months NSW has lost over 900 homes and an estimated 10 individuals to the devastating bushfires, according the the NSW Fire Services. The fires have also sent Australia as a whole into one of the driest and most vast droughts of the decade, with an average daily maximum of 107 degrees fahrenheit. The fires have been so tragic that the Australian capital Canberra has cancelled all future fireworks displays and enforced a total fire ban, a political move that also worked as a motivator for this particular petition. 

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“(Canceling) the event would seriously hurt Sydney businesses. It would also ruin plans for tens of thousands of people from across the country and overseas who have booked flights, hotels and restaurants for New Year’s Eve. $433,000 has already been donated to support communities and wildlife impacted by bushfire and drought, and offered our trucks and staff to help emergency services with cleanup and recovery efforts. The display will also be greener this year using fireworks that are carbon offset,” said organizers from the City Council of Sydney in a statement. 

New South Wales has also made a public statement that all Rural Fire Service volunteers are being paid a maximum of $6,000 each for their extreme relief efforts. A majority of firefighters in the country have still yet to be paid for their bush-fire work, due to the frequent occurrences of them, and damages done in general.

While efforts to cancel the display have been strong, council members stated that the amount of money local businesses earn during the New Year’s Eve rush is imperative to the survival of most of them. In addition, hundreds of thousands of people make commitments to come to Sydney specifically for New Year’s, and they book the trips so far in advance, cancelling now would cause complete chaos around the world. So while the 275,000+ individuals will be disappointed, city council members as well as environmentalists are still working together to rebuild and recover from an otherwise devastating year.

 

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Australia’s Using Cell Phone-Detecting Cameras To Catch Distracted Drivers

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Australia has officially begun using new technology to help combat one of the 21st century’s biggest issues: people using their phones while they’re behind the wheel. Specifically, the state of New South Wales is currently installing multiple high definition cameras that are especially made for capturing images of drivers using their cell phones while driving. 

New South Wales (NSW) is the first place in the world to implement this sort of technology throughout its roads. According to NSW’s official statement, the cameras use artificial intelligence to capture and review the images of drivers, and the AI software is able to detect if the driver is using their phone or not. These cameras are mounted in stationary locations, like a standard traffic camera light, and also on mobile trailers for on the go monitoring.

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The technology isn’t the only thing that NSW’s transportation department is relying on for catching drivers illegally using their phones. Once an image is captured by a camera, it then needs to be verified by authorized personnel, according to NSW authority. They also stated that all images would be securely stored and managed amongst the transportation department. Individuals behind the technology understand that the cameras could capture drivers while they’re simply moving their phone or checking the GPS, hence the personnel review of the images to ensure appropriate action is taken against individuals actually using their phone illegally. 

“The NSW Government is serious about reducing our state’s road toll and rolling out mobile phone detection cameras is another way we will do this,” Andrew Constance, New South Wales’ minister for roads, said in a statement.

Over the next three years NSW plans on mounting a total of 45 portable cameras throughout the state in locations that will be kept classified from the general public. The cameras will also offer no sort of warning sign in regards to where they’re located, as that would defeat the purpose of catching drivers in the act. 

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Throughout the past year NSW’s government has been recording trial data from the new AI camera technology, and reports state that over 100,000 drivers were captured illegally using their phones while driving from the cameras alone. Obviously none of those caught in the act were punished, as the government didn’t officially announce the use of this new technology by that point, but the data has now been made available to everyone as a sort of warning on how accurate this technology actually is.  

In the official announcement for the new technology, NSW’s transportation department stated that for the first three months that the cameras are installed, drivers who are caught will receive a warning letter at first, instead of an actual fine. After the initial three months, or if an individual gets caught more than once within those three months, offenders will receive a fine of up to $345, or $460 if they’re caught in a school zone, and penalty points will be added to their license. 

While some individuals think the punishment is aggressive, New South Wales implemented this technology in response to the amount of car fatalities that could have easily been avoided had the driver not been looking at their phone. In NSW alone, 330 individuals have died in 2019 from cell phone driving related incidents. The state is aiming to cut that number down by at least 30% with this new technology, and based on their data projections, they should have no problem in achieving that goal and keeping their streets safe.