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headline

CDEMA Springs Into Action Over Haiti Quake Disaster

By Carlena Knight

 

The Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA) is already making plans with officials on the ground in Haiti to assist following Saturday’s devastating 7.2-magnitude earthquake.

Executive Director Elizabeth Riley explained that discussions have been ongoing for two days and the body has committed to deploying fully vaccinated CDEMA officials to the disaster-hit country.

Concern is however being raised as Haiti is expected to be negatively impacted by Tropical Storm Grace. It is feared heavy rain brought by TS Grace could trigger landslides.

“We have been in discussions with them for the past two days as the information has come forward getting a better understanding of what has actually transpired where the regional system could best provide support.

“Haiti has made a formal request now to the CDEMA to provide support on the coordination side in their national emergency operations centre in Port-au-Prince, and we initiated those arrangements yesterday evening and, due to the pending threat of Grace, the timing for arrival is being scheduled just after the passing of Grace,” Riley said.

According to Riley, Haitian officials are still able to acquire certain supplies so the need would be to provide cash donations instead. Details, she said, will be given at a later date as discussions are still ongoing.

She admitted that this has been a challenging period for the regional body in balancing the Covid-19 pandemic along with the frequent disasters across the Caribbean.

“The reality is that we have had a number of events taking place back-to-back and, in fact, a number of them even happen in parallel.

“So, it has been quite a bit of making sure that we retain a higher-level view of all that is happening. We are trying to make the best decisions that we can based on information available on how to deploy the resources that we have in the region and, of course, those resources are limited and even more constrained as a result of what’s happening across the region with Covid-19. It has been a challenging time – that is just the reality,” she added.

According to Riley, the Covid spikes in the various countries sometimes limit the amount of support that can be given.

“In essence, it may limit our ability to be able to draw human resources from that country to support another. So, it’s been a very dynamic time for us,” she said.

She explains that the pandemic has also forced them to strategise how relief supplies are deployed but boasted that since that new protocol has been put in place, none of their CDEMA workers have tested positive for the coronavirus.

She revealed that the pandemic has, however, positively pushed the group to upgrade some of their programmes, like the Integrated Regional Logistics Hub in Barbados which helped in disseminating PPE gear and other Covid protective supplies to the 20 member states of CDEMA.

Nevertheless, the top CDEMA official is continuing to remind Caribbean residents “to remain vigilant and be prepared”.

The regional body joins a growing list of governments, agencies and celebrities who have pledged to assist the Caribbean country following last weekend’s natural disaster where at least 1,297 people are known to have died and an unknown number are still missing.

In fact, search and rescue teams have been arriving from the United States and Chile, with more on the way from Mexico. Cuban medical teams are already in Haiti where they are treating the injured citizens.

Japanese tennis star Naomi Osaka, whose father is from Haiti, said she would donate her earnings from next week’s Western & Southern Open to help finance relief efforts.

The earthquake compounds problems facing the impoverished nation, which is already reeling from a political crisis following the assassination of its president last month.

The post CDEMA Springs Into Action Over Haiti Quake Disaster appeared first on The St Kitts Nevis Observer.

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World View: Taliban Takeover, Women Offered Places in Govt., What Happened to Afghan Army? More

Aug 17, 2021

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The Associated Press

The Rundown

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KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — The Taliban declared an “amnesty” across Afghanistan and urged women to join their government Tuesday, seeking to convince a wary population that they have changed a day after deadly chaos gripped the main airport as…Read More

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WASHINGTON (AP) — A defiant President Joe Biden rejected blame for chaotic scenes of Afghans clinging to U.S. military planes in Kabul in a desperate bid to flee their home country after the Taliban’s easy victory over an Afghan military that…Read More

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LES CAYES, Haiti (AP) — Tropical Depression Grace swept over Haiti with drenching rains just two days after a powerful earthquake battered the impoverished Caribbean nation, adding to the misery of thousands who lost loved ones, suffered inju…Read More

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WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. experts are expected to recommend COVID-19 vaccine boosters for all Americans, regardless of age, eight months after they received their second dose of the shot, to ensure lasting protection against the coronavirus as t…Read More

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WASHINGTON (AP) — Built and trained at a two-decade cost of $83 billion, Afghan security forces collapsed so quickly and completely — in some cases without a shot fired — that the ultimate beneficiary of the American investment turned out to …Read More

OTHER TOP STORIES

WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. officials on Monday are expected to declare the first-ever water shortage from a river that serves 40 million people in the West, triggering cuts to…Read More

The Taliban have seized power in Afghanistan two weeks before the U.S. was set to complete its troop withdrawal after a costly two-decade war. The insurgents stormed acros…Read More

QUINCY, Calif. (AP) — Firefighters are keeping an eye on a lone, emaciated bear cub that may have lost its mother to the country’s largest wildfire now burning in Northern…Read More

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — A Utah reptile center employee is recovering after an alligator yanked her into its enclosure during a presentation, thrashing her around before a fa…Read More

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Grace Strengthens Back Into Tropical Storm…Could Become Hurricane

Aug 17 (Reuters) – Tropical depression Grace,which has been drenching earthquake-ravaged Haiti, has strengthened into a storm again, causing floods across portions of the island of Hispaniola, the U.S. National Hurricane Center (NHC) said on Tuesday.

Grace, which is expected to gain hurricane strength within a couple of days, is located about 230 miles (370 km) east of Montego Bay Jamaica, packing maximum sustained winds of 40 mph (65 kph), the Miami-based weather forecaster said.

Reporting by Brijesh Patel in Bengaluru; Editing by Clarence Fernand

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U.S. Appeals Judge’s Order Revives Trump ‘Remain in Mexico’ Program

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WASHINGTON, Aug 16 (Reuters) – The administration of U.S. President Joe Biden on Monday appealed a federal judge’s order to reinstate a controversial immigration program that forced tens of thousands of migrants to wait in Mexico for the resolution of their U.S. asylum cases.

The Biden administration appealed the decision to the conservative-leaning 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals after a Texas-based judge on Friday vacated the administration’s decision to end the program, known as the Migrant Protection Protocols (MPP).

The MPP program was launched under former President Donald Trump in 2019, triggering objections from immigrant rights groups and Democrats who said it forced migrants to wait in dangerous conditions in Mexico and undermined the ability to seek asylum in the United States. The Biden administration halted the program in February and has since allowed about 13,000 migrants enrolled in it to enter the United States to pursue their cases.

Biden’s decision to terminate the program – informally known as “remain in Mexico” – was an early and significant political victory, energizing his supporters and underscoring his stated commitment to a more humane immigration system. Republicans criticized the move, saying ending MPP and other restrictive Trump policies would encourage more illegal immigration.

In the months that followed, the number of migrants caught crossing the U.S.-Mexico border soared to 20-year highs, a development that was immediately seized upon by Republicans. read more

The states of Texas and Missouri filed a legal challenge in April over Biden’s decision to wind down the MPP program, saying it was “unexplained and inexplicable.”

U.S. District Court Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk said on Friday that the Biden administration had failed to follow proper regulatory procedure when it ended the program and ordered it restarted. read more

However, Kacsmaryk, a Trump appointee, stayed his decision for a week to allow the Biden administration to appeal.

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Dog snatched from front yard just after a bath

A beloved pet dog has been snatched from outside its home in broad daylight, leaving the owners devastated.

Atlas, a five-year-old Japanese Spitz, had just had a bath and so wasn't wearing a collar.

Security video shows a woman driving slowly along a street in Fairfield on Sunday afternoon.

Atlas the Japanese Spitzer (white dog in left image) was stolen from outside a Fairfield home (right).

READ MORE: Gold Coast woman reunited with missing dog

She pulls up, opens the door, and crouches to the ground, as the friendly dog approaches her.

"Everyone is a friend to her and she'd just go to anyone," her owner Elise Pham told 9News.

She is a big, fat, friendly ball of fur."

Ms Pham said the family will not ask any questions if Atlas is returned safely.

"I just want my baby back. That is all. I don't know what to say, we don't know the lady we don't what her intentions are," she said.

The abduction has been reported to police, and vets and shelters in the area.

If anyone spots Atlas, the woman in the video or her car, they should contact Crimestoppers.

headline

Haiti Earthquake: Death Toll Climbs as Tropical Depression Grace Hits, Hope Dims for Survivors

BBC- Rescue workers are rushing to locate survivors of the deadly earthquake that struck Haiti on Saturday as a tropical storm hit the Caribbean nation.

At least 1,419 people are known to have died in the 7.2-magnitude quake. More than 6,900 were injured, and an unknown number are still missing.

Tropical Depression Grace is expected to dump up to 25cm (10 inches) of rainfall over the worst affected area.

It is feared the deluge could trigger landslides.

Social media footage showed heavy rain pouring over the island’s east, with the quake-hit west next in its path.

Roads already made impassable by the quake could be further damaged by the rains, so aid teams are racing to get essential provisions to the quake-hit region.

On Twitter, Haiti’s civil protection agency urged “good neighbours whose space has not been affected” to help shelter displaced people.

Graphic showing Grace's predicted path
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Search and rescue teams have been arriving from the United States and Chile, with more on the way from Mexico. Cuban medical teams are already in Haiti and helping people.

Humanitarian organisations say survivors need drinking water and shelter. More than 30,000 families have reportedly been left homeless.

Homes, churches and schools were among buildings flattened in the quake. Some hospitals were left overwhelmed and in need of supplies as they struggled to treat the injured.

The earthquake compounds problems facing the impoverished nation, which is already reeling from a political crisis following the assassination of its president last month.

The south-west of Haiti appears to have suffered the worst of the damage, especially around the city of Les Cayes.

Footage on social media showed residents desperately trying to pull victims from ruined buildings.

“The streets are filled with screaming,” Archdeacon Abiade Lozama, head of an Anglican church in Les Cayes, told the New York Times. “People are searching, for loved ones or resources, medical help, water.”

The epicentre of Saturday’s quake was about 12km (7.5 miles) from the town of Saint-Louis du Sud, the US Geological Survey (USGS) said.

But the tremor could be felt in the densely-populated capital of Port-au-Prince, some 125km away, and in neighbouring countries.

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Hospitals under fear of collapse

By James Clayton, BBC News, Les Cayes

It’s hard enough to treat survivors of any natural disaster but when the hospitals themselves are under fear of collapse it makes it all the more difficult.

Les Cayes Ofatma hospital is deemed too unsafe so they’ve brought everyone outside. People swat away flies on hospital beds placed under makeshift tents and trees. You can hear people screaming in pain.

One woman, Elsy, had only just woken up when the earthquake happened. Her son has a serious fracture to his leg.

There simply aren’t the facilities needed to treat people in this remote part of the country. One doctor comes to us, angry, asking why he has no medicine.

One woman we spoke to – who has a very bad broken leg and is also pregnant – has had no pain relief for two days.

The people here need help, but at the moment not enough help is coming – and with a tropical storm close by it could become even more difficult.

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Map of Haiti
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Prime Minister Ariel Henry declared a month-long state of emergency and urged the population to “show solidarity”.

The Pope offered prayers for the victims during a Sunday address and expressed hope that aid would arrive soon.

Japanese tennis star Naomi Osaka, whose father is from Haiti, said she would donate her earnings from next week’s Western & Southern Open to help finance relief efforts.

Aftershocks were felt after the initial tremor on Saturday, with the USGS initially warning the earthquake could result in thousands of fatalities and injuries.

A 2010 earthquake in Haiti killed more than 200,000 people and caused extensive damage to the country’s infrastructure and economy.

People walk in a market as they go about their lives in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, May 24, 2021

Reuters

Haiti: Key facts

  • 11 millioninhabitants
  • 59%percentage who live below the poverty line
  • 2004-2017years in which a UN peacekeeping force was present
  • 200,000number of people killed in the 2010 earthquake

Source: BBC Monitoring

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Hopes for quake survivors dwindle as storm lashes Haiti

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Haitian firefighters search for survivors, under the rubble of a destroyed hotel, after Saturday's 7.2 magnitude quake, in Les Cayes, Haiti August 16, 2021. REUTERS/Ricardo Arduengo
Parts of a motorcycle are seen in the rubble of a destroyed hotel after Saturday's 7.2 magnitude quake, in Les Cayes, Haiti August 16, 2021. REUTERS/Ricardo Arduengo

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Haitian firefighters search for survivors, under the rubble of a destroyed hotel, after Saturday’s 7.2 magnitude quake, in Les Cayes, Haiti August 16, 2021. REUTERS/Ricardo Arduengo

LES CAYES, Haiti, Aug 17 (Reuters) – Heavy rains lashed Haiti on Tuesday night, complicating rescue efforts and drenching thousands left homeless by a devastating earthquake that killed at least 1,419 people, as hopes dimmed for survivors.

Tropical Depression Grace churned over the regions of southwest Haiti worst-hit by Saturday’s quake of magnitude 7.2, whipping devastated towns with high winds and torrential rains, causing flooding in at least one area.

The earthquake brought down tens of thousands of buildings in the poorest country in the Americas, which is still recovering from a major quake 11 years ago that killed more than 200,000 people.

The latest disaster comes just over a month after Haiti was plunged into political turmoil by the assassination of President Jovenel Moise on July 7.

Several major hospitals were severely damaged, hampering humanitarian efforts, as were the focal points of many shattered communities, such as churches and schools.

Haitian authorities said on Monday that 1,419 deaths had been confirmed, with some 6,900 people injured.

As hopes began to dim of finding significant numbers of survivors among the wreckage, the storm impeded rescuers in the seaside city of Les Cayes, about 150 km (90 miles) west of the capital Port-au-Prince, which bore the brunt of the quake.

The storm is expected to dump up to 15 inches (38 cm) of water on parts of Haiti, creating a risk of flash floods, according to the U.S. National Hurricane Centre.

Rescue workers from across Haiti were digging alongside residents through the rubble on Monday evening in a bid to reach bodies, though few voiced hope of finding anyone alive. A smell of dust and decomposing bodies permeated the air.

“We came from all over to help: from the north, from Port-au Prince, from everywhere,” said Maria Fleurant, a firefighter from northern Haiti.

As heavy rain began to fall, emergency workers pulled a blood-stained pillow from under the rubble, followed by the corpse of a three-year-old boy who appeared to have died in his sleep during the earthquake.

Shortly after, as the rain intensified, the workers left.

TOLL EXPECTED TO RISE

With about 37,312 houses destroyed by the quake, according to Haitian authorities, and many of those still unexcavated, the death toll is expected to rise.

Vital Jaenkendy, who watched as a bulldozer shifted rubble from his collapsed apartment building, said eight residents had died and four were missing.

Jaenkendy and others have been sleeping under a tarpaulin on a dirt road nearby, and were hunkering down for the rains.

“When the storm comes, we’ll take shelter in car ports of the houses nearby, just until it passes, and then we’ll return to our place in the road,” he said.

Doctors in battled makeshift tents outside hospitals to save the lives of hundreds of injured, including young children and the elderly.

Prime Minister Ariel Henry, who was sworn in less then a month ago after Moise’s assassination, vowed to disburse humanitarian aid better than in the wake of the 2010 quake.

Though billions of dollars in aid money poured into Haiti after that quake and Hurricane Matthew in 2016, many Haitians say they saw scant benefits from the uncoordinated efforts: government bodies remained weak, amid persistent shortages of food and basic goods.

“The earthquake is a great misfortune that happens to us in the middle of the hurricane season,” Henry told reporters, adding that the government would not repeat “the same things” done in 2010.

Reporting by Laura Gottesdiener and Ricardo Arduengo in Les Cayes, Haiti; Additional reporting by Herbert Villarraga and Robenson Sanon in Les Cayes; Editing by Daniel Flynn and Clarence Fernandez
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Biden Defends US Pullout from Afghanistan

BBC- Joe Biden has said he stands “squarely” behind the US exit from Afghanistan as he faces withering criticism over the Taliban’s lightning conquest of the war-torn country.

“How many more American lives is it worth?” asked the Democratic president.

He said that despite the “messy” pullout, “there was never a good time to withdraw US forces”.

On Sunday, the Taliban declared victory after Afghan President Ashraf Ghani fled and his government collapsed.

The militants’ return to rule brings an end to almost 20 years of a US-led coalition’s presence in the country.

Kabul was the last major city in Afghanistan to fall to a Taliban offensive that began months ago but accelerated in recent days as they gained control of territories, shocking many observers.

Mr Biden’s address followed a dramatic day at Kabul’s international airport, where hundreds of civilians desperate to flee the country forced their way inside on Monday.

Many thronged the runway, running alongside a moving military transporter aircraft as it prepared for take-off.

Some clung to the side of plane, and at least two of them are reported to have perished when they fell from the aircraft after it had left the ground.

American troops killed two armed Afghans who were part of the crowd that breached the airport perimeter. Seven people reportedly died in total.

The US suspended its evacuation from Kabul but it has now resumed.

A remarkable picture from Sunday appears to show 640 Afghans packed onboard a US military cargo plane leaving Kabul for Qatar.

The image, not verified by the BBC, was obtained by the US defence analysis website, Defense One.

Panicked civilians had scrambled up the loading ramp, the website quoted US officials as saying, but the crew decided it was best to take off rather than force the Afghans off. The number onboard could be a record for that type of plane – a C-17 Globemaster.

Picture provided Defense One appears to show hundreds of Afghans fleeing Kabul onboard an American C-17 cargo plane, 15 August 2021image sourceDefense One
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In a separate development, the Taliban have announced what they are calling a general amnesty for government officials, and have urged them to return to work.

A statement said officials should “continue their duties without any fear”.

‘The right decision’

Mr Biden returned on Monday to the White House from the Camp David presidential retreat to make his first public remarks on Afghanistan in nearly a week.

“If anything, the developments of the past week reinforce that ending US military involvement in Afghanistan now was the right decision,” said Mr Biden.

“American troops cannot and should not be fighting in a war and dying in a war that Afghan forces are not willing to fight for themselves.”

Mr Biden is facing an intense political backlash over the turmoil in Kabul following his April decision to order all American troops out of Afghanistan by 11 September – the 20 year anniversary of the terror attacks that triggered the US invasion.

Mitch McConnell, Republican Senate Minority Leader, tweeted: “What we are seeing in Afghanistan is an unmitigated disaster. The Biden Administration’s retreat will leave a stain on the reputation of the United States.”

Former US President George W Bush, who authorised the military intervention in 2001, said he was “watching the tragic events unfolding in Afghanistan with deep sadness”.

“The Afghans now at greatest risk are the same ones who have been on the forefront of progress inside their nation,” Mr Bush said, stressing that the US had “the legal authority to cut the red tape for refugees during urgent humanitarian crises”.

In his speech, Mr Biden said the US mission in Afghanistan was never supposed to have been about nation-building.

He said that when he was vice-president he had opposed the 2009 deployment of thousands more troops into the country by former President Barack Obama.

Mr Biden also noted he had inherited a deal negotiated with the Taliban under former President Donald Trump for the US to withdraw from Afghanistan by May of this year.

He said he was now the fourth US president to preside over America’s longest war, and would not pass the responsibility on to a fifth.

“I will not mislead the American people by claiming that just a little more time in Afghanistan will make all the difference.”

Mr Biden campaigned as a seasoned expert in foreign policy and declared after assuming office this year that “America is back”.

Last month he assured reporters it was “highly unlikely” the Taliban would overrun the entire country.

But he conceded on Monday that “this did unfold more quickly than we had anticipated”.

Opinion polls suggest most Americans support the US exiting Afghanistan.

But Mr Biden is facing a barrage of criticism over the manner of the departure, after he withdrew US troops then sent thousands back in to help the evacuation.

Images emerged on Sunday showing US helicopters circling the US embassy in Kabul.

For many, the pictures evoked America’s humiliating departure from Saigon, Vietnam, in 1975 when Mr Biden was a junior senator.

Map of Kabul
Map of Kabul

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NSW records 452 cases of COVID-19

New South Wales has recorded another death and 452 new cases of COVID-19, with at least 50 of those infectious in the community.

Premier Gladys Berejiklian said said 75 per cent of the state's active cases are in people aged under 40 and has urged young people to come forward to be vaccinated, especially if they live in a local government area of concern.

"Those extra jabs we receive from the Commonwealth will be put straight into the arms of 16 to 39-year-olds in the local government areas of concern," Ms Berejiklian said.

READ MORE: Melbourne wakes to toughest lockdown restrictions in Australia

Additional ADF police will hit the streets from Monday to help ensure compliance. (Janie Barrett)

"That will protect them and their loved ones and also anyone coming into contact with them in a workplace."

Ms Berejiklian said there had been 151,000 tests undertaken in the last 24 hours.

The state's latest death was a woman in her 70s, from Western Sydney, who died at Westmead Hospital yesterday.

She was diagnosed with the virus on July 29 and had not received any doses of a COVID-19 vaccine.

NSW's total death toll since the beginning of the pandemic is 113.

State on track to hit vaccine target

NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian.

Ms Berejiklian warned locked down residents would not enjoy greater freedoms until vaccination targets were achieved.

She said NSW is on target to have 70 per cent of its eligible population fully vaccinated with two doses by the end of October.

That number will rise to 80 per cent by mid-November.

Students wait to receive the Pfizer vaccine for Covid-19 at Judos Arena, Sydney.

"Life will be much freer than what it is today once we get to 70 per cent and 80 per cent," Ms Berejiklian said.

"It doesn't mean we'll be completely free.

"It doesn't mean that we will let's let the virus be rampant in the community no matter our number of cases, but it will be freer than it is today."

NSW Deputy Premier John Barilaro has urged residents of NSW – particularly those in the state's West – to receive whatever vaccine is readily at hand.

Mr Barilaro said he does not want to see regional communities fall behind metropolitan areas in the vaccination data as a cluster grows in NSW's Central West.

"Don't or caught up in the AstraZeneca versus Pfizer debate," Mr Barilaro said.

"The reality is we don't have that debate when it comes to flu shots each and every year. We get the shot. We're not sure of the brand, we just get on with it."

Canterbury Hospital closed

Dr Jeremy McAnulty from NSW Health has confirmed that a ward at Canterbury Hospital has been closed following a confirmed transmission of COVID-19.

Dr McAnulty also confirmed that four inpatients and two staff members have tested positive for the virus at St George Hospital.

Health Minister Brad Hazzard said there is "no question" that NSW's hospital system "is under enormous pressure".

Hundreds of fines issued amid compliance crack down

Today's figures come as police ramp up their response to those flouting the rules with close to 600 fines issues in the past 24 hours.

In one case a man from Fairfield in the city's hotspot south-west, who was COVID-19 positive, was not home when police conducted a compliance check yesterday.

He was one of 579 issued with an infringement notice for breaching stay-at-home orders.

READ MORE: Queensland records one new COVID-19 case

Australian Defence Force personnel and NSW police are seen being deployed from Bankstown Police Station in Sydney.

"He turned up about 20 minutes later and was unable to provide a reasonable excuse why he was out," NSW Police Deputy Commissioner Mal Lanyon told Today.

"It's impossible to overstate the seriously and the potential risk of the rest of the community of that person being out and about.

"I think the explanation yesterday was (he) needed to do some exercise or get fresh air.

"Clearly the self-isolation orders are put in place for a particular it reason, the person is infectious and is COVID positive and the person represents a great risk to the rest of the community."

People at Manly Beach, Sydney.

READ MORE: Polish Pfizer vaccines approved for Australia

Thirty-four people across the state were issued with court attendance notices yesterday, he said.

"By and large the majority of the community are doing the right thing, but we see a repeated number of people who continually do the wrong thing. The fact that we had to issue 579 infringement notices only vindicates that."

Operation Stay at Home is now in force, with hundreds of additional police officers out ensuring people are complying with public health orders.

At least 1400 officers attached to Traffic and Highway Patrol Command are now focusing on compliance operations on the state's roads.

A further 500 Australian Defence Force troops, in addition to the 300 already deployed, are assisting with compliance checks and patrols, particularly within hotspot suburbs.

Yesterday NSW recorded its highest daily rise in cases with 478 new infections.

Infectious diseases expert Peter Collignon dismissed suggestions to bring in a curfew, like the one now in place across Melbourne to curb the spread.

"I'm not convinced a curfew makes all that much difference," Professor Collingnon told Today.

"If you look at the people breaking the rules, I'm not sure having police on the road at 2am would have made a lot of difference for that.

"Most of the people moving around at two in the morning are essential workers or (who have a) legitimate excuse. I haven't heard material to the contrary.

Queues for COVID-19 vaccination, AZ Medical Centre, Lakemba, Sydney.

"A lot of extra resources, I think, for not a lot of extra benefits. I think protecting eyes (by wearing face shields or glasses), if we make a bigger effort on that we'll have a much bigger decrease in transmission than a night curfew."

READ MORE: 'Disturbingly high': NSW records 478 infections and seven deaths

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Lite N Easy cancels deliveries in NSW and ACT after COVID scare

Food delivery company Lite N Easy has cancelled its deliveries in New South Wales and the ACT for the next two days after a "potential COVID incident" at a Sydney facility.

Deliveries in NSW for today will still be delivered, but there could be a delay of several hours, the company said on its website.

"Unfortunately, though, we will have to cancel all deliveries schedules for Wednesday and Thursday in NSW/ACT," the statement read.

1. Lite n' Easy

READ MORE: 'Be kind to yourself': Sydney beach walk's uplifting lockdown messages

"For those customers affected, we are currently processing a refund for any payments already made.

"We sincerely apologise and want to assure you we are working as hard as possible to return to full operations."

Customers in Queensland, South Australia, Victoria, Tasmania, and Western Australia, will not be affected.

READ MORE: Why NSW Health is no longer listing every COVID-19 exposure site

"The health and safety of our team members and customers is always our highest priority, which is why the COVID workplace safety measures we have implemented since the start of the pandemic exceed the best practices advised by the Health Department," the statement read.

"Because of this, we are very confident that our Sydney facility will be operational again in the next couple of days."

In an automatic statement on the company's hotline, it is said the Lite N Easy facility is set to resume operations on Thursday morning, for Friday deliveries.

Any affected customers are encouraged to contact *@***********om.au.” title=”the company” target=”_blank” rel=”noopener”>the company.

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Gladys Berejiklian sets sights on October for end of lockdown

NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian has hinted at an October end to lockdown, saying that by then she expects more than 70 per cent of the state will have received both doses of a COVID-19 vaccine.

Ms Berejiklian avoided speculation on future case numbers, stating that modelling predicts they will continue to rise.

However, she has said that by mid to late October "life will be much freer".

"I do want to stress that once we get to six million (vaccines administered in NSW), it does give us options as to what we can consider in the months of September and October," Ms Berejiklian said.

READ MORE: NSW records 452 cases of COVID-19 and one death

NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian.

"And obviously by the end of October, we will get to 70 per cent of double doses, which gives us more options about what we can do.

"Whilst there will not be complete freedom at 70 per cent, or even 80 per cent, depending on the case numbers, life will be much freer than what it is today and that's the point I want to make."

The premier said that although protocols like using QR codes, wearing masks and social distancing are likely to stick around for some time yet, "harsh restrictions" will no longer be necessary.

READ MORE: Delta variant continues its spread through NSW regions, making its mark as far as Broken Hill

"Even countries around the world with 80 per cent double-dose vaccinations still rely on QR codes and mask-wearing in certain settings," she said.

"We know that whilst the Delta variant in particular is very active around the world, there will always be a level of protection we need to have.

"But life will be much freer than what it is today and that is the key point. We won't have to live with the harsh restrictions that we're living with today. But that is why today and in the last few weeks, we've done a call-out not just to people in those areas of concern to get vaccinated, but especially our older citizens."

READ MORE: Australia administering 200 vaccines a minute

Broken Hill

In NSW today there were 452 new local cases of the virus detected, down from yesterday's 478 but still "disturbing high".

Of today's cases, more than 50 have been confirmed as being active in the community while infectious, while dozens remain under investigation.

Health authorities have also issued warnings for residents living in the state's regions, as the Delta variant continues to spread further and further from the outbreak's epicentre.

Fragments of COVID-19 have also been detected in sewage treatment plants as far as Ballina and Lennox Head, while in Broken Hill – almost 1,200 kilometres away from Sydney – a local case has been uncovered.