- Title: Empty streets and busy beaches - Delta lockdown divides Sydney
- Date: 9th August 2021
- Summary: SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA (RECENT - AUGUST 4, 2021) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF DEFENCE FORCE PERSONNEL AND POLICE OFFICER PATROLLING STREETS OF SYDNEY'S SOUTH WEST SUBURBS SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA (RECENT - AUGUST 2, 2021) (REUTERS) POLICE TALKING TO PERSON ON SIDEWALK SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA (RECENT - AUGUST 4, 2021) (REUTERS) DEFENCE FORCE PERSONNEL AND POLICE OFFICER TALKING TO LOCAL RESIDENT OUTSIDE LITTLE TRIPOLI RESTAURANT VARIOUS OF ABDUL ELDICK, OWNER OF LITTLE TRIPOLI, A LEBANESE RESTAURANT IN SYDNEY'S SOUTH-WEST SUBURBS, PREPARING FOOD (SOUNDBITE) (English) OWNER OF LITTLE TRIPOLI RESTAURANT, ABDUL ELDICK, SAYING: "So, basically, double standards. One rule applies for the west, one rule applies for the east, another rule applies for the north. It's hard. But what do we do? At the end of the day, everyone is entitled to make their input. You don't know what your rights are. I'm sorry, to be abused by something called your country? We are born and bred here. I'm probably more Aussie than the meat pie. But, what do you do? At the end of the day you've got to try to make it work. I don't need the governments money. I can make my own money, just give me back my business." SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA (RECENT - AUGUST 2, 2021) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF ARMY AND POLICE OFFICERS WALKING STREETS OF SYDNEY'S SOUTH WEST SUBURBS WOMAN WALKING ON SIDEWALK SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA (AUGUST 7, 2021) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF PEOPLE WALKING AROUND BONDI BEACH PEOPLE STANDING AND LOOKING AT BEACH PEOPLE EXERCISING AT OUTDOOR GYM (SOUNDBITE) (English) LOCAL RESIDENT, MURILO DE SOUZA, SAYING: "I feel sorry for those people, because, we are lucky to be here close to the beach, close to the park and to be able to go for a dip in the water, and they are stuck in apartments. But, in the end of today it is what it is, you cannot complain much, you know. I hope like, they can come out some day and join us here but for now, they need to stay home, yeah." SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA (RECENT - AUGUST 2, 2021) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF ARMY PERSONNEL WALKING STREETS OF SYDNEY'S SOUTH WEST SUBURBS SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA (RECENT - AUGUST 5, 2021) (REUTERS) PERSON WALKING INTO RESTAURANT EIGHTEEN 22 TO BUY TAKEAWAY MANAGER OF RESTAURANT EIGHTEEN 22, HAYAT GHASSAH, MAKING COFFEE COFFEE DRIPPING INTO CUP (SOUNDBITE) (English) MANAGER OF RESTAURANT EIGHTEEN 22, HAYAT GHASSAH, SAYING: "Let's face it, they failed us. They failed south-west Sydney. They failed the people, and they definitely failed a whole area which is now facing many challenges." SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA (AUGUST 7, 2021) (REUTERS) PEOPLE ON BEACH (SOUNDBITE) (English) BONDI RESIDENT, BEN PEACOCK, SAYING: "I feel for them, horribly. I think it's really tough and as I say, I think there's a lot of people out there that need to go to work. They're doing a lot more of, kind of building site jobs, hospitality jobs and that's tough. If you're wondering where the rent's coming from, you've got to go out and do stuff. I think this idea of blaming each other, is a pretty bad way to look at things. The idea of everyone going, right, let's all do what we've got to do, when we've got to do it is how we're going to get through this, you know." SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA (RECENT - AUGUST 5, 2021) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF CANTERBURY BANKSTOWN COUNCILLOR, BILAL EL-HAYAK, BOXING FOOD VOLUNTEER PACKING FOOD HAMPERS (SOUNDBITE) (English) CANTERBURY BANKSTOWN COUNCILLOR AND YOUTH WORKER, BILAL EL-HAYAK, SAYING: "People are going through a really, really, really tough time, both financially and mentally. The only way out of this is together. Together we'll come out of this a much stronger community. As I said, it's people waking up every morning, police helicopters. I got a call last night at midnight, sorry, a message at midnight last night with someone complaining that their kids can't go to sleep because there's a helicopter on top of their house flying very low. It is tough times and our community's suffering. They are going through a really, really tough time. But, together as I mentioned earlier, we'll definitely come through this." SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA (RECENT - AUGUST 4, 2021) (REUTERS) CAR PULLING IN TO DRIVEWAY TO DELIVER FOOD FOR ELDERLY PERSON IN LOCKDOWN (SOUNDBITE) (English) SOUTH-WEST SYDNEY RESIDENT HELPING TO DELIVER FOOD, AMER YASSINE, SAYING: "One hot meal. Just bear in mind, has memory problem, may seem a little confused. Please encourage him to eat his meal." EL-HAYAK TAKING FOOD FROM CAR TO BRING TO ELDERLY PERSON IN LOCKDOWN EL-HAYEK GETTING BACK INTO THE CAR CAR BACKING UP (SOUNDBITE) (English) CANTERBURY BANKSTOWN COUNCILLOR AND YOUTH WORKER, BILAL EL-HAYAK, SAYING: "We've got to bear in mind as well that the people that we deliver to have, some of them have nobody, so we're the only contact they have for that whole week or for that whole day." EL-HAYAK TAKING BAG OF FOOD TO HOUSE
- Embargoed: 23rd August 2021 11:54
- Keywords: Australia Bondi Beach Sydney coronavirus lockdown pandemic restrictions two-tier
- Location: SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA
- City: SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA
- Country: Australia
- Topics: Asia / Pacific,Australia,Health/Medicine
- Reuters ID: LVA001EPP3DJB
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text:Police, reinforced by the military, are out on the empty streets in western Sydney, making sure the hard lockdown is adhered to in some of Australia's most migrant-heavy neighbourhoods where COVID-19 infections are greatest.
About three-quarters of New South Wales state's nearly 5,000 active cases come from nine Sydney local government districts, urban sprawl stretching from about 12 km (7.5 miles) southwest of the Sydney Harbour Bridge to the Blue Mountains foothills.
To the east, however, on the sands of Bondi Beach, one of Sydney's wealthiest suburbs, surfers and seaside walkers jostle for space, while joggers clog the nearby promenade and fitness buffs huddle around public exercise equipment.
As Australia's largest city struggles to contain its worst outbreak of the pandemic, the harsher restrictions and tougher policing in its most-affected neighbourhoods have stoked resentment. That feeling is especially raw since the Delta outbreak began in Bondi, with an unmasked, unvaccinated airport driver.
Though the whole East Coast city of 5 million is in lockdown, around 1.8 million in its ethnically diverse west are banned from leaving their immediate surroundings and doing any face-to-face work. Authorised workers must be tested every three days, and masks are mandatory outside homes.
The rest of the city is getting by with construction and property maintenance allowed, fewer movement restrictions and with masks not required outdoors. Schools, which have been closed citywide since June, are returning everywhere but the west.
"So, basically, double standards. One rule applies for the west, one rule applies for the east, another rule applies for the north. It's hard. But what do we do?" said restaurant owner Abdul Eldick. He has owned a Lebanese restaurant for 12 years.
Restaurants across the city are banned from seating customers and rely on takeaway to survive, but the reduced income in the west, coupled with restricted movement, has severely dented sales.
"I don't need the governments money. I can make my own money, just give me back my business," Eldick said.
The west, where three-quarters of residents in some suburbs are overseas-born, contributes about 7% to the A$1.6 trillion ($1.2 trillion) national economy, with major logistics and manufacturing hubs there, according to Business Western Sydney (BWS), an industry association. Before the lockdowns, three-quarters of the area's 1 million workers left their neighbourhoods daily to go to jobs.
Residents of Bondi, which went through a hard lockdown last year, were sympathetic.
"I feel for them, horribly. I think it's really tough and as I say, I think there's a lot of people out there that need to go to work. They're doing a lot more of, kind of building site jobs, hospitality jobs and that's tough. If you're wondering where the rent's coming from, you've got to go out and do stuff," said Bondi resident Ben Peacock.
Bilal El-Hayek, a councillor from the city's west, now spends most days helping to deliver food packages to people who don't qualify for pandemic-related support payments, with his friend Amer Yassine, a laid-off travel agent.
"We've got to bear in mind as well that the people that we deliver to have, some of them have nobody, so we're the only contact they have for that whole week or for that whole day," said El-Hayek. He goes to homes of those who need help five days a week to see how they are coping and to make sure they have enough to eat.
On Monday (August 9), New South Wales expanded its COVID-19 lockdown to the rural town of Tamworth based on concerns the virus may have spread from Sydney into the countryside. The state reported 283 locally acquired cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, up from 262 cases a day earlier.
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