Australian government increased the lockdown in Sydney on Wednesday by 14 days, after three weeks of initial restrictions failed to stop the outbreak of Covid-19 in Sydney. New South Wales state Premier Gladys Berejiklian said limitations would need to continue in se until July 30, after she reported 97 new local cases.

“It always hurts to say this, but we need to extend the lockdown at least for more than two weeks,” We want to get out of this lockdown as soon as we can, and that is why we have the settings in place that we have,” Berejiklian said on Wednesday.

Berejiklian has frequently said that the lockdown will only be opened when the number of newly reported cases is close to zero infections.The harbour city of 5 million residents was rushed into a two-week lockdown in late June as the highly infectious Delta variant started to take grasp in the country that has spread many infections.

Many non-essential businesses are closed, and most school students are at home. Residents are only allowed to go outside their homes for essential activities and some exercise.