Australia extends COVID-19 lockdown in Brisbane to Sunday


SYDNEY, (Reuters) – A snap three-day lockdown in Australia’s third largest city, Brisbane, and some neighbouring regions will be extended until Sunday as officials asked for more time to contain an outbreak of the highly-infectious Delta coronavirus variant.

Queensland state, of which Brisbane is the capital, detected 13 new locally acquired cases, up from nine a day earlier. The lockdown was due to end on Tuesday evening but is now scheduled to run until Aug. 8.