Australian state eases restrictions despite over 1,200 new COVID-19 cases

ANKARA (AA) – Australian state New South Wales (NSW) on Thursday announced easing some COVID-19 restrictions from Friday, despite recording over 1,200 new cases in the past 24 hours, the Health Ministry said.

According to the ministry, restrictions on workout will end and people would be allowed unlimited exercise, including in Sydney, the hotspot of the ongoing outbreak.

“From 5 a.m. Friday, exercise will no longer be limited to one hour in the local government areas of concern,” the ministry tweeted.

However, the curfew after evening will still apply, but exercise is unlimited outside of those hours, it added.

The decision came after the state achieved its target to administer single-dose vaccination to its 70% population, becoming the first state in Australia to achieve its target.

State Premier Gladys Berejiklian said the health authorities had decided to relax the exercise rule slightly as it is a low-risk activity and the vaccination rate is now high.

“We still know that between 70% and 80% of all cases are still coming from those areas, however, there are some councils we're looking at to see if we can relieve those burdens or even part of councils. That's ongoing work," he said.

In the past 24 hours, NSW recorded 1,288 new cases, bringing the total number of infections to 29,202. As many as 163 people also died from the virus.

Australia has so far reported 56,560 COVID-19 cases, including 1,019 fatalities, according to the US-based Johns Hopkins University.

- Australia extends health emergency

Meanwhile, the Australian government has extended the human biosecurity emergency period for a further three months.

In a statement, the ministry said the emergency period, which has been in place since March 18, 2020, to protect Australians during the COVID-19 pandemic, will continue until Dec. 17.

Under the emergency, pre-departure testing and mask-wearing for international flights are mandatory, and the entry of cruise vessels within the Australian territory has been restricted.

*Writing by Islamuddin Sajid