Patience for severe pandemic restrictions is running out in Australia.
Thousands of protesters marched in central Sydney on Saturday, demanding an end to the city's shutdowns.
The city of five million people has been living under severe restrictions since June, which do not seem to end for a long time.
The fact that the state of New South Wales registered 163 new cases of infection on Friday, the highest daily figure during the ongoing outbreak of the delta variant, did not deter the thousands who protested without protection in central Sydney.
Should identify everyone
The organizers had applied for a permit, but were refused on the grounds of public health - according to current rules, a maximum of two people may meet outdoors, and then only for exercise.
The police tried to stop the protesters and certain tumult broke out.
The police state that at least 57 people have been arrested.
After the protesters dispersed, New South Wales Chief of Police David Elliott spoke out and called those who took part in the demonstration stupid.
He also announced that he had appointed a special force to identify every single one of the 3,500 people who participated in what he calls a "super-spreader event".
- If we do not see a sharp increase in infection in the areas that those who participated come from, I would be very surprised, Elliot said according to The Guardian.
"Ridiculously"
New South Wales Health Officer Brad Hazzard says at a press conference on the daily infection rates that the demonstration is ridiculous.
- I actually think it's really ridiculous.
Right now the numbers are rising tremendously and we have people who think it's okay to go out and be crowded at a demonstration.
Even in the almost equally large city of Melbourne, which also has severe restrictions, some thousands of people demonstrated.
There, the protests are reported to have calmed down.