Hundreds of soldiers are being deployed to Sydney to help enforce the latest Covid-19 lockdown as Australia battles to contain a Delta-variant outbreak, which began in June and has so far caused nearly 3 000 infections and nine deaths.
According to the BBC, Australian Defence Force soldiers will undergo training this weekend before beginning unarmed patrols on Monday.
The deployment has drawn criticism, with the Australian Lawyers Alliance, a civil rights group, calling it a ‘concerning use’ of the army in a liberal democracy.
In recent days, anti-lockdown demonstrations have taken place in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane.
The lockdown in Sydney, which will remain in place until at least 28 August, bars people from leaving their homes except for essential exercise, shopping, caregiving and other reasons.
The stricter measure coincide with criticism of Australia’s vaccine efforts. The country’s rate of vaccination – 17% of the adult population so far – remains one of the lowest among the 38 member countries of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.
According to the BBC, the arrival of the highly contagious Delta variant has challenged the country’s previous strategy of border closures, quarantine programmes and snap lockdowns, which had previously helped to keep cases low.
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