The entire state of NSW will be plunged into lockdown from 5pm on Saturday, NSW Health has confirmed.
In a statement, health authorities said the decision to send the entire state into lockdown was made to “protect the people of NSW from the evolving COVID-19 outbreak”.
The stay-at-home orders will be in place for a week.
Authorities gave NSW residents just two hours notice of the impending lockdown, which was announced by various state Nationals MPs on their Facebook channels before NSW Health issued a formal statement.
NSW Deputy Premier John Barilaro then formally announced the move on social media.
NCA Newswire estimates at least half of the MPs who sit within the Nationals Party room had shared the news with their constituents on Facebook before Mr Barilario’s official statement.
Speaking with ABC News, Mr Barilaro said the health advice to lockdown the entire state was given at lunchtime on Saturday.
“We’ve always said if we thought his measure was needed we’d act quickly, and that’s why on that advice, at lunchtime today, we made the decision to go to a statewide lockdown,” he said.
Earlier on Saturday morning, NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian warned the state was at war with the delta variant, after it recorded 466 new coronavirus cases overnight.
The premier said lockdowns in some areas of concern, such as Western NSW and Armidale, were “likely” to be extended.
In a statement, NSW Health said the new order replaced existing orders across regional NSW.
Everyone must stay at home unless they have a reasonable excuse to leave. Residents cannot have visitors in their home from outside their household, including family and friends.
People still can have one visitor at a time to fulfil carer’s responsibilities or provide care or assistance, or for compassionate reasons, including where two people are in a relationship but do not live together.
All hospitality venues must be closed to the public, including pubs, restaurants and cafes, except for takeaway.
Masks must be carried at all times and be worn when working outdoors, by school staff, people in outdoor markets, outdoor shopping strips, and in outdoor queues waiting for food and coffee.
Employers have also been ordered to allow workers to work from home, unless it is not reasonably practicable.
A one-day grace period for planned weddings and funerals in regional areas that have not already been subject to lockdown orders will be in place until 12:01am on Monday.
From Monday, attendance at funerals and memorial services will be capped at 10 people.
Mr Barilaro said he hoped regional NSW could have restrictions eased within seven days.
“Our focus is for people to stay home and do the right thing because if we do the right thing, as we’ve shown previously in Orange, we can actually get out of this in seven days,” he told ABC News.
“I have no concern we can’t get out of this by next Saturday.”
Earlier on Saturday, NSW Deputy chief health officer Jeremy McAnulty said health authorities were concerned about the growing case numbers in the state’s west.
“The majority of cases are in Dubbo at the moment and there have been a small number of cases in Walgett and one in Wellington,” Dr McAnulty said.
The wider Dubbo region recorded 26 new cases of Covid-19 overnight while the Hunter New England region recorded 16 new cases overnight.
In Walgett – where 40 per cent of the population identify as Indigenous – cases also continue to rise with one new case identified overnight.
Health authorities were also concerned about the detection of Covid-19 viral fragments in sewage in Broken Hill and Ballina.
“Please monitor very closely for symptoms and come forward for testing at even the slightest of symptoms so we can find if there are cases in the community who are contributing to these positive sewage findings,” Dr McAnulty said.
The reasons you may leave your home include:
*Shopping for food or other essential goods and services;
* Medical care or compassionate needs (people can leave home to have a COVID-19 vaccination unless you have been identified as a close contact);
* Exercise outdoors in groups of 2 or fewer (unless members of the same household);
* Work, where you cannot work from home.
* Schooling will be done from home.
* Masks must be worn indoors (not including the home) and in outdoor settings where you cannot socially distance from others (e.g. while queuing for takeaway)
https://news.google.com/__i/rss/rd/articles/CBMiqwFodHRwczovL3d3dy5uZXdzLmNvbS5hdS9uYXRpb25hbC9uc3ctYWN0L25ld3Mvc3RhdGV3aWRlLWxvY2tkb3duLWZvci1hbGwtb2YtbnN3LWFmdGVyLXJlY29yZC1jb3ZpZC1jYXNlcy1mdWxsLWxpc3Qtb2YtbmV3LXJ1bGVzL25ld3Mtc3RvcnkvNjU3YzRlYTI2NWQzYmNmNjAwMzEwOThmNjNiOTMxODPSAasBaHR0cHM6Ly9hbXAubmV3cy5jb20uYXUvbmF0aW9uYWwvbnN3LWFjdC9uZXdzL3N0YXRld2lkZS1sb2NrZG93bi1mb3ItYWxsLW9mLW5zdy1hZnRlci1yZWNvcmQtY292aWQtY2FzZXMtZnVsbC1saXN0LW9mLW5ldy1ydWxlcy9uZXdzLXN0b3J5LzY1N2M0ZWEyNjVkM2JjZjYwMDMxMDk4ZjYzYjkzMTgz?oc=5
2021-08-14 05:27:16Z
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