NSW Covid: Berejiklian pressured to soften Sydney lockdown construction ban

With construction banned in Greater Sydney, workers are taking up jobs in regional NSW, where they can still legally work.

Tradies put out of work by the Premier’s ban on construction are being lured to regional NSW where they can legally still work, raising serious concerns about the policy having the unintended consequence of spreading Covid to the regions.

It comes as the Premier stares down intense pressure to soften her hardline ban on construction which is crippling the industry and the economy, with confirmation Chief Health Officer Kerry Chant did not provide direct specific advice to shut the industry.

NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian has come under pressure for the building ban in Greater Sydney, Blue Mountains and Wollongong. Picture: NCA NewsWire/Bianca De Marchi

Under the current rules, while construction is banned in Greater Sydney, Blue Mountains, Wollongong and Shellharbour, workers can take up jobs in the regions but require a Covid test sometime in the seven days before working 50km outside of the restricted zone.

They are also required to have surveillance testing every seven days and to abide by stay at home rules applicable in the lockdown areas for 14 days after leaving the area.

Deputy Premier John Barilaro said “never before has it been so important to keep the virus at bay,” urging regional businesses not to make the mistake of welcoming the virus into their communities.

“I urge everyone in Sydney to do the right thing. Please do not travel to the regions. Don’t put our regional communities at risk,” Mr Barilaro said.

“I also ask regional businesses not to take advantage of this situation, because you’ll be risking the wellbeing of your families, colleagues and neighbours.”

He said the safeguards were “in place for a reason”.

“We do not want this virus spreading to regional NSW. Do not travel to regional NSW if you do not have to.”

He added: “We cannot legislate against stupidity, but if people are going to put the regions at risk, we will try”.

Rather than recommending the industry be shut down, health advice provided to the government advised on “the broad principles of what we need to see (to reduce Covid transmission,” Dr Chant said on Monday.

The state’s Public Health chief said it’s up to the “whole of government … to determine what things are critical and what things are not”.

“We can define the problems (and) what we’re trying to achieve from a public health objective … how that is done is really a matter for broader government, as you’d expect,” Dr Chant said.

“We are not the experts in logistic chains and other things.”

Premier Gladys Berejiklian throughout the pandemic has said all decisions made have been taken on the basis of “health advice”.

On Friday, she specifically said that further measures would be taken in a bid to stop Covid spreading as soon as NSW Health had presented “concrete proposals” which could work.

Health Minister Brad Hazzard said the government’s Covid crisis cabinet takes advice “from a range of sources” in making its decisions.

Ms Berejiklian said the decision was taken after the government received advice on the “absolute risk of workplace transmission and the fact that thousands and thousands of people were moving around the community”.

Treasurer Dominic Perrottet is speaking daily with the industry ahead of July 30 when some construction is set to recommence.

There was no discussion about reversing the ban in crisis cabinet meetings on Monday, despite outrage from tradespeople.