Staff prepare to take Covid-19 tests at a testing station in Nelson Bay, Australia. SYDNEY: More than 12 million Australians -- close to half of the population -- are now in lockdown as the nation struggles to contain a spread of the delta coronavirus variant. On Tuesday, Brisbane became Australia’s fourth regional capital city to restrict movement outside of homes except for essential reasons such as shopping and exercise for at least three days, less than 24 hours after a similar move in Perth. They followed Sydney and Darwin, which over the weekend announced longer lockdowns of up to two weeks.