Sydney celebrates end of four months Covid-19 lockdown
October 11, 2021, 2:01 am

Sydney celebrates end of four months Covid-19 lockdown

Restaurant-Bar/Pixabay

The BBC reported, the Australian city of Sydney has emerged from lockdown after almost four months, with locals celebrating a range of new freedoms.

It said, people queued for pubs and shops that opened at midnight on Monday specifically for the occasion.

The BBC mentioned, many others have been enjoying anticipated reunions and visits to the homes of relatives and friends.

According to the BBC, Covid rules had banned household visits and travel beyond a 5km (3.1 miles) zone, separating many families.

In the meantime, most restrictions have now been eased for fully vaccinated people.

People can now share meals together at reopened cafes and restaurants, and visit gyms, libraries, and pools. There were long queues for barbers and nail salons on Monday.

Australia's biggest city was allowed to exit lockdown after the state of New South Wales (NSW) reached a 70% double-dose vaccination target for over-16s.

More restrictions will ease when 80% of over-16s are fully vaccinated. Currently, over 90% have received a first dose.

State Premier Dominic Perrottet said on Monday: "It's been a difficult 100 days."

"But the efforts that people have made right across the state, to go out and get vaccinated, has enabled this great day."

Mr Perrottet warned that NSW was bracing for a surge in Covid cases, but said the healthcare system had been preparing for weeks.

He said: "We'll see hospitalisations increase… but we need to learn to live alongside the virus."

The state has not yet imposed a system to check vaccination status, leaving it up to individual businesses.

Sydney's lockdown began in late June after a Delta variant outbreak took hold, leading to over 50,000 infections and 439 deaths so far.

It spread to Melbourne and Canberra, prompting those capitals to go into lockdown, as well as to New Zealand.

Canberra is due to exit lockdown on Friday, while Melbourne is predicted to reopen in late October.

Australia had previously adhered to a Covid elimination strategy, and this remains the objective in some states.

But the rapid spread of the Delta variant forced a greater focus on vaccination efforts so Australia could switch to "living with the virus".

Queensland, Western Australia, South Australia, Tasmania and the Northern Territory have remained virus-free after shutting their borders to infected states.

Authorities have flagged that Australians living abroad could travel back into Sydney next month, as the nation's borders reopen.

Source: BBC

THE PANDORA PAPERS, AN ANTHROPOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE UK works on resettling Afghan girls footballers and their families who fled Taliban

BENEFIT, the Kingdom’s innovator and leading company in Fintech and electronic financial transactions service, has sponsored the BuildHer CityHack 2025 Hackathon, a two-day event spearheaded by the College of Engineering and Technology at the Royal University for Women (RUW).
Aimed at secondary school students, the event brought together a distinguished group of academic professionals and technology experts to mentor and inspire young participants.
More than 100 high school students from across the Kingdom of Bahrain took part in the hackathon, which featured an intensive programme of training workshops and hands-on sessions. These activities were tailored to enhance participants’ critical thinking, collaborative problem-solving, and team-building capabilities, while also encouraging the development of practical and sustainable solutions to contemporary challenges using modern technological tools.
BENEFIT’s Chief Executive Mr. Abdulwahed AlJanahi, commented: “Our support for this educational hackathon reflects our long-term strategic vision to nurture the talents of emerging national youth and empower the next generation of accomplished female leaders in technology. By fostering creativity and innovation, we aim to contribute meaningfully to Bahrain’s comprehensive development goals and align with the aspirations outlined in the Kingdom’s Vision 2030—an ambition in which BENEFIT plays a central role.”
Professor Riyadh Yousif Hamzah, President of the Royal University for Women, commented: “This initiative reflects our commitment to advancing women in STEM fields. We're cultivating a generation of creative, solution-driven female leaders who will drive national development. Our partnership with BENEFIT exemplifies the powerful synergy between academia and private sector in supporting educational innovation.”
Hanan Abdulla Hasan, Senior Manager, PR & Communication at BENEFIT, said: “We are honoured to collaborate with RUW in supporting this remarkable technology-focused event. It highlights our commitment to social responsibility, and our ongoing efforts to enhance the digital and innovation capabilities of young Bahraini women and foster their ability to harness technological tools in the service of a smarter, more sustainable future.”
For his part, Dr. Humam ElAgha, Acting Dean of the College of Engineering and Technology at the University, said: “BuildHer CityHack 2025 embodies our hands-on approach to education. By tackling real-world problems through creative thinking and sustainable solutions, we're preparing women to thrive in the knowledge economy – a cornerstone of the University's vision.”