All of Greater Sydney will be placed into lockdown from 6pm on Saturday, as health authorities work to contain a “concerning” surge in coronavirus cases.
NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian announced the extension of current lockdown measures after a crisis Cabinet meeting on Saturday, and as the state recorded 12 new locally-acquired infections.
Currently, stay-at-home orders are in place for four Sydney local government areas: Woollahra, Waverley, Randwick, and the City of Sydney.
Following the crisis meeting, Ms Berejiklian said all of Greater Sydney, the Blue Mountains, the Central Coast and Wollongong will be under stay-at-home orders from 6pm on Saturday until midnight, 9 July.
“Even though we don’t want to impose burdens unless we absolutely have to, unfortunately this is a situation where we have to," Ms Berejiklian said.
"I said that this is the scariest time since the pandemic started, and that’s proven to be the case."
At an earlier press conference on Saturday, Ms Berejiklian said the situation is "worsening beyond what we would have liked to have seen" and foreshadowed the current restrictions may be extended.
"I am putting everybody on notice that we may need to extend that during the course of the day or tomorrow," she told reporters on Saturday morning.
"But that will be based on health advice and decisions taken by the Cabinet crisis meeting."
The official case tally for Saturday was 29 infections, including 17 that were previously announced, out of over 55,220 tests. All but one of the new cases is linked to an existing cluster.
But the state's chief health officer, Dr Kerry Chant, said only 12 of the 29 new cases were in isolation throughout their infectious period.
"The situation overnight has highlighted that an increasing number of people have been undetected and infectious in the community, and those exposure sites have spread," Dr Chant said.
"Largely they were contained in the four LGAs, but now we are seeing the spread to exposure venues outside of those four LGAs, and that is the basis for my growing concern.”
Members of the public wait to be tested for COVID-19 at a pop up clinic at Bondi Beach in Sydney, Saturday, 26 June, 2021.
AAP
The list of exposure sites now includes venues in the Northern Beaches, Lakemba, Auburn, with another two train routes added on Friday night.
Two of the new cases were linked to Great Ocean Foods in the inner-west suburb of Marrickville. Anyone who worked at, attended or was a customer at the food wholesaler from 21 to 25 June, along with their household contacts, are considered a close contact and must immediately get tested and isolate for 14 days, regardless of the result.
Anyone who received a delivery from Great Ocean Foods during that time, along with their household members, must also immediately get tested and isolate until further advice from NSW Health.
NSW Health has also been notified of additional venues across Sydney visited by confirmed cases of COVID-19.
Anyone who attended Cheers Bar & Grill in inner-city Sydney between 1:45 - 3:30am on 20 June, or Rebel at Bankstown Shopping Centre between 3:45-4:30pm on 24 June must immediately get tested and isolate for 14 days, regardless of the result.
Currently, permitted reasons to leave home for those in the Woollahra, Waverley, Randwick, and City of Sydney LGAs include for work or education, if you cannot work or study from home; for outdoor exercise in groups of 10 or fewer; for health care and to care for others; and to buy essential goods.
The restrictions will remain in place until midnight on 2 July.
Anyone who lives or works in the above-mentioned areas plus the local government areas of Canada Bay, Inner West, and Bayside is also barred from leaving metropolitan Sydney for any non-essential reason.
The Australian Medical Association has been calling for a broader lockdown of the entire Sydney basin, saying on Friday the current restrictions aren't enough to combat the current outbreak.
"What we really need are clear rules for all of Sydneysiders that say 'stay at home' so we can get ahead of this virus and stop further transmission," AMA President Dr Omar Khorshid said.
"The Delta virus is different; it is being transmitted far more easily and everyone has acknowledged that it is different. Sydney has not faced this before, and that means a different approach is required."
Australian Medical Association (AMA) President Omar Khorshid.
AAP
Ms Berejiklian said the current outbreak continues to be "the scariest time" for the state, and implored Sydneysiders in their respective areas to follow the rules.
"Can I please stress to everybody: those lockdowns, stay-at-home orders we put in place in the local government areas from last night, please strictly adhere to them," she said on Saturday.
"If you live or work in those seven local government areas that we spoke about last Monday, do not leave metropolitan Sydney under any circumstances.
"We do not want this virus transmitting in our regions; we do not want this virus to spread beyond the suburbs and local government areas where it is circulating."
'Putting everyone on notice’: Gladys Berejiklian calls crisis meeting as NSW records 12 new local COVID-19 cases - SBS News
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