Coronavirus

The city is battling to contain an outbreak of the highly infectious Delta variant.

Officials reported 17 new cases on Friday, taking the cluster to 65 cases.

It is the first lockdown in Australia's largest city - home to 5.3 million people - this year.

It will affect the city centre, inner-city suburbs, as well as beachside suburbs in the east.

"We don't want to see this situation linger for weeks. We would like to see this situation end sooner rather than later," said New South Wales Premier Gladys Berejiklian.

According to an executive member of the Solomon Islands Students Association (SISA), both students were tested this week.

“The two students were tested Monday this week, and their results came back positive.

“Their second test on Tuesday also returned positive. Therefore, both students are now confirmed to be infected,” the senior student who wants his name withheld told this paper from Suva last night.

He said those two students were renting a home at Nasese just near the Laucala campus.

NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian did not mince her words yesterday when she described the past week as the "most serious moment for the state" since the pandemic began.

There have so far been 49 locally acquired COVID-19 cases in the state since a limousine driver tested positive last Wednesday, and more infections are expected to be announced at 11:00am today.

"We're dealing with a virus that is extremely contagious," Ms Berejiklian said.

Ministry of Health’s Permanent Secretary, Doctor James Fong said of the new cases, 297 are from the Lami-Nausori Containment Zone, and 11 are from Tramline Nadi.

218 of the cases in Lami-Suva-Nausori are from existing areas of interest, including 153 from Qauia settlement in Lami.

12 cases are from new areas of interest that include Goodman Fielder, Goundar Shipping Company, Nausori Police Barracks, and St. Giles Hospital.

The remaining cases are contacts of known cases, or cases that were seen in screening clinics and were swabbed.

Authorities reported 16 new infections on Wednesday, which brings the cluster there to 37 cases.

Sydney's 5.3 million residents will have to wear masks indoors, and many will be banned from travelling out of the city.

Officials are concerned about the "extremely contagious" Delta variant.

The cluster marks the largest rise in infections in Sydney since December. For most of the year, locals have enjoyed almost no restrictions on daily life.

But the sharp case rise in the past week has prompted authorities to reinstate distancing rules.

Ministry of Health’s Permanent Secretary, Dr James Fong said out of the new cases, 46 are from existing containment zones or quarantine facilities in Nadi.

The remaining 233 cases are from the Lami-Nausori Containment Zone which includes Suva.

Of this total, 196 cases are from existing areas of concern.

Dr Fong added that this means they are either from known clusters or they have a potential link to an existing case.

All 279 of these new patients are currently in isolation at home or in a facility.

The New South Wales health authority issued an alert late on Tuesday about two flights between Wellington and Sydney linked to the case.

It said passengers who were on one flight into Wellington, and one flight back to Sydney last weekend, are considered close contacts of a COVID-19 case.

The flights were Qantas QF163, which left Sydney at 7.05pm on Friday 18 June and landed in Wellington at 12.12am on Saturday; and Air New Zealand NZ247, which left Wellington at 10.13am on Monday 21 June, arriving in Sydney at 11.33am.

It comes after the government updated guidance last week to recommend only those aged over 60 get the shot, due to the risk of a rare blood-clotting syndrome.

Under-60s have been advised to get the alternative Pfizer shot, of which there are limited supplies.

Turning down any vaccine - and AstraZeneca is the world's most widely used one - may seem remarkable to other nations still battling rampant Covid.

This was recorded in the 24-hour period ending 8am today.

Of the 180 cases, 168 are from the Lami – Nausori containment area, 11 cases are from the Western Division and one case in Korovou, Tailevu.

The country recorded 126 new cases of COVID-19 yesterday with one death.

The Ministry of Health says the 42-year old man died at the CWM Hospital in Suva.

He was admitted to the hospital with leptospirosis and also tested positive for COVID-19 during his admission.

Seven of the infections were detected outside of the reporting period and will be included in tomorrow's figures.

Three new cases were recorded before the 8pm reporting cut-off, in addition to two infections that were announced yesterday.

The latest surge in cases has led NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian to extend the state's mask mandate for all indoor public venues to midnight next Wednesday, 30 June.

"We will extend it to all of Greater Sydney... excluding the Central Coast and the Hunter," she said.