Shopping, building, singles bubble: new rules as lockdown extended

Sydneysiders will be locked down for another four weeks as Covid cases continue to soar. These are all the rules residents need to know.

Sydneysiders will be locked down for another four weeks as Covid cases continue to soar. These are all the rules residents need to know.

From midnight tonight, July 28:

SHOPPING

In line with exercise rules, Greater Sydney residents including the Central Coast, Blue Mountains, Wollongong and Shellharbour must limit their shopping to within their Local Government Area (LGA) or, if outside their LGA, within 10km from home, unless the item is not available locally.

“We don’t want anyone to go shopping outside of their LGA, or more than 10km away, we are seeing people travelling long distances to do this,” NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian said.

“We want locals to stay local”.

People must limit their shopping to within their Local Government Area (LGA) or, if outside their LGA, within 10km from home.

From 12.01am, Saturday, July 31:

CONSTRUCTION

- Construction in non-occupied settings outside of the LGAs of concern (with no residents on-site) will re-open as planned, subject to a one person per 4sqm rule. These low-risk construction sites must have COVID safe plans in place, compliance will be strictly enforced. Construction cannot resume in the eight LGAs of concern, nor will construction workers be allowed to leave these areas.

- Trades people, including cleaners who are able to work with zero contact with residents will also be allowed to resume (no more than two people inside and five outside). If contactless arrangements are not possible, work cannot go ahead. This work will not be allowed in the eight LGAs of concern, nor will workers be allowed to leave these areas.

Construction of sorts is about to resume. Picture: Andrew Henshaw

(enforceable from Saturday, July 31)

CHANGES TO SURVEILLANCE TESTING

- All authorised workers from Canterbury-Bankstown LGA must get tested once every three days in order to leave their LGA for work.

- People who live in the Fairfield and Cumberland LGAs but work outside these areas as health or aged care workers (including support services for health or aged care, such as cleaners, cooks and security providers) must be tested once every three days in order to be allowed to go to work outside their LGA.

- These surveillance testing requirements will be enforceable from Saturday, 31 July. However, relevant workers will have from today to get their first test.

NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian announced the new rules today.

From 12.01am, Saturday, July 31:

SINGLES BUBBLE

A singles bubble will also be introduced, allowing people who live alone to nominate one designated family member or friend to visit for companionship. Restrictions will apply for people in the LGAs of concern.

From Monday, August 16

HSC STUDENTS

Year 12 students are also set to return to face-to-face learning on Monday, 16 August, with the Government finalising plans for the resumption of in-class study under strict COVID protocols.

The NSW Government is also working with industry and the Department of Education to introduce Rapid Antigen Testing to mitigate against outbreaks in workplaces and schools.

Vaccine priority will be given to HSC students aged between 16-18 who live in the 8 at-risk LGAs

Cleaners prepare to enter an apartment complex in Blacktown at the centre of a Covid cluster. Picture: NCA NewsWire/Jeremy Piper

Ms Berejiklian warned yesterday Greater Sydney faces an “extremely difficult” few weeks, saying that easing restrictions “too early” could “waste” the pain of Sydney’s lockdown.

The government will embark on a massive push for vaccinations in the worst affected parts of Sydney, but Ms Berejiklian appeared to walk away from a proposal announced on Friday to delay second Pfizer doses to get more first doses in the community.

The singles bubble comes amid concerns for the mental health of hundreds of thousands of Sydneysiders now facing an indefinite lockdown.

The proposal was pushed by Customer Services Minister Victor Dominello and supported by Health Minister Brad Hazzard and Treasurer Dominic Perrottet.

Chief health officer Kerry Chant raised concerns about “mobility” encouraged by the bubble, and Deputy Premier John Barilaro argued against its design.

NSW Health’s Jeremy McAnulty on Tuesday said antigen tests could be rolled out in “businesses or various industries,” with further announcements expected in days.

People lining up to get a Covid-19 Vaccine in Roseville. Picture: NCA Newswire /Gaye Gerard

“We know we’ve put in the hard yards for five weeks, and we don’t want to waste all the great work we’ve done by opening too early and then having the virus spread again,” Ms Berejiklian said.

Anyone over 18 in NSW is now being urged to get a dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine. Certain pharmacies will offer the AstraZeneca vaccine to all adults from Wednesday. NSW Health vaccination clinics will start giving AstraZeneca over 18s from Friday.

“We are doing the hard yards now so that we can live more freely down the track. And we know that the next few weeks are going to be extremely difficult for NSW,” Ms Berejiklian said.