Campbelltown, Georges River, Parramatta on high alert for Covid-19

NSW Health is extremely concerned about the spread of Covid-19 cases beyond southwest Sydney.

Thousands of residents in 90 fresh suburbs of concern in Sydney have been completely locked down, along with the city’s southwest, as Covid-19 cases spread to more areas.

NSW Health authorities are growing more concerned about cases of the virus arising outside southwest Sydney, with three new LGAs added to the previously locked down council areas.

People living in Parramatta, Campbelltown and Georges River council areas will now only be able to leave their local government area for work if they are authorised workers.

Parramatta is one of the LGAs joining the tighter lockdown from midnight. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Nikki Short

Parramatta is one of the LGAs joining the tighter lockdown from midnight. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Nikki Short

The fresh rules will come into place from midnight, meaning from Thursday more than half a million more Sydneysiders will now be unable to leave their LGA.

“If you live in those three Local Government Areas you’re not too leave that area for work unless you are working in health, aged care or essential workers listed,” Premier Gladys Berejiklian said.

“We think it is too dangerous to allow them to go out for work unless it is in those critical industries we have identified.”

Premier Gladys Berejiklian has announced that people living in Parramatta, Campbelltown and Georges River council areas will now only be able to leave their local government area for work if they are authorised workers. Picture: Lisa Maree Williams Pool/Getty Images

The full list of areas subject to the strict health orders now includes Fairfield, Canterbury-Bankstown, Liverpool, Cumberland, Blacktown, Parramatta, Georges River and Campbelltown.

Construction will be permitted to resume with some restrictions in places across Greater Sydney from Saturday but tradies will continue to be banned from work in the eight hot spots.

The Premier also cautioned residents that more police will be in these areas, cracking down on breaches of the public health orders.

“If you see somebody not doing the right thing, please report it,” Ms Berejiklian said.

“We cannot put up with people continuing to do the wrong thing because it is setting us all back.”

The Covid-19 testing line at Campbelltown Hospital, in another of the local government areas subject to tighter lockdown conditions from midnight. Picture: Jonathan Ng

The lockdown across the enter of Greater Sydney was also extended on Wednesday for another four weeks, with 177 new locally transmitted cases of Covid-19 in the most recent 24-hour period.

General stay-at-home orders now remain in place until August 28 for Greater Sydney, the Central Coast, the Blue Mountains, Shellharbour and Wollongong.

The Premier also tightened rules around shopping, with locked down residents only able to visit shops in their local government area or within 10km of their home.
People can shop further than the 10km limit if the item is not available locally.

Of Wednesday’s new cases, at least 48 were in the community for their entire infectious period.

NSW has also recorded an 11th death since the Delta outbreak began in Bondi after an unvaccinated woman aged in her 90s died at Liverpool Hospital on Tuesday.