In Sydney’s coronavirus lockdown, east-west divide means the vulnerable are hit harder than the wealthy
- The tougher lockdowns have dealt an economic blow the federal government has said may contribute to a second recession in two years
- Harsher restrictions and tougher policing in the worst affected neighbourhoods have stoked resentment among members of the public
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.
To the west, where Covid-19 infections are greatest, stores sit shuttered on empty streets as some of Australia’s most migrant-heavy neighbourhoods endure heightened lockdowns, enforced by high-visibility policing backed up by the military.
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 12km southwest of the Sydney Harbour Bridge to the Blue Mountains foothills.
“The community here is really struggling at the moment and they feel there’s a double standard,” said Bilal El-Hayek, a councillor from the city’s west who spends most days helping deliver food packages to people who don’t qualify for pandemic-related support payments.
“You see photos and videos coming out of the east, people on the beach, whereas here the streets are absolutely empty.”