The remote Outback town of Alice Springs has become the latest Australian region to enter a lockdown as the delta variant spreads across the country, sparking criticism of the government¡¯s tardy vaccine rollout.
The outbreak in the town of about 25,000 people in the center of Australia, believed to have emerged from a mining site, is raising fears that the nation¡¯s vulnerable indigenous population is now facing its greatest threat from the pandemic.
¡°I know it is sudden and shocking ¡ª I am sorry about that, but we cannot afford to wait a minute longer,¡± Northern Territory Chief Minister Michael Gunner told reporters on Wednesday while announcing the 72-hour snap lockdown. He urged indigenous communities to remain calm, saying they would be supplied with groceries and medicines.
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