Published July 21, 2021 New research reckons Sydney’s lockdown might need to last until at least late August or early September in order for daily case numbers to get back down to a manageable level. If you still had your heart set on restrictions easing by July 31, it’s probs time to put that fantasy to rest. Researches from the University of Melbourne’s Populations Intervention Unit used an updated version of their modelling from last year’s massive lockdown in Melbourne to see how different levels of restrictions would achieve a target of five cases per day, which was the official threshold Victoria was using at the time to ease restrictions.