Covid NSW: Tougher new restrictions in place for Sydney lockdown
More restrictions have been placed on NSW as health authorities lock the regions out of greater Sydney. This comes as additional infectious venues —including two major shopping centres — were released after 50 new cases were recorded overnight.
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Additional restrictions have been placed for the entire state as health authorities now look to lock the regions out of greater Sydney during the lockdown.
Health Minister Brad Hazzard has also amended the current public health order which now makes wearing a mask compulsory for indoor construction sites in NSW.
Other additional restrictions now prohibit anyone from outside of greater Sydney entering for exercise and recreation.
The changes also mean anyone entering greater Sydney for obtaining goods and services can only do so if they are not “reasonably available” where they live.
As of Sunday, mourners coming into greater Sydney for a funeral are only allowed to if there are less than 10 people attending.
It comes as from July 13 masks will also be mandatory in all indoor common areas of a residence such as lifts and lobbies.
Anyone over 18 wishing to leave greater Sydney must also carry evidence of their address and show it to police on request.
NSW Health on Saturday afternoon has released almost 30 more venue alerts where infectious coronavirus cases have visited over the past week from across western and southern Sydney.
Among the exposure sites is the popular Centennial Homestead Cafe – in Centennial Park - where thousands of people have been exercising since the lockdown was announced a fortnight ago, as well as Roselands, in southwestern Sydney, and Broadway, in Ultimo.
RETAIL WORKERS WANT JAB PRIORITY
Retail workers want to be included in the priority group for vaccinations with an analysis of exposure sites showing eight in 10 close contact venues to be a shop or mall.
With its large proportion of younger staff, the union representing shopkeepers and supermarket workers has written to both Federal Health Minister Greg Hunt and NSW Health Minister Brad Hazzard to make the case for its members.
Shop, Distributive and Allied Employees Association (SDA) secretary Bernie Smith said retail staff were essential workers serving at the frontline of the lockdown.
One of the few places the general public could go during a lockdown was a shop, he said.
“We are talking about a large number of people who are being exposed daily,” Mr Smith said.
“We saw in Bondi how two customers walking past each other in a shopping centre passed on the virus.
“No matter what, central supermarkets, pharmacies, petrol stations remain open and staff should be protected.”
An analysis of NSW Health data conducted by the union revealed almost 80 per cent of close contact venues listed in the past two days were a shop or shopping centre.
As for those listed as casual contact venues, almost 90 per cent were a shop or shopping centre.
Over the past week, 64 per cent of close contact venues were a shop or shopping mall with 79 pre cent being casual contact venues.
Since the start of the outbreak, more than 54 per cent – or one in two – of close contacts have occurred at a shop or in a shopping centre.
The SDA wants “age-appropriate” vaccines for its members, with retail workers under the age of 60 to have access to the Pfizer jab, with the remainder able to receive Astra Zeneca.
Mr Smith, who has written to Mr Hazzard about the issue three times and Mr Hunt once, blames the botched federal government vaccine rollout for the predicament his younger members faced.
The industry has also launched a campaign to remind customers of heavy penalties for spitting or coughing on workers.
Mr Smith said one in five workers last year reported being deliberately coughed or spat on.
50 NEW CASES, VIRUS RACES THROUGH FAMILIES
Locked-down residents are warned to stick to the rules to protect their families after the biggest spike in cases was reported since the outbreak began on June 16.
NSW recorded 50 new locally acquired cases of COVID-19 in the 24 hours to 8pm last night, with Premier Gladys Berejiklian saying most were from family contacts.
“People are getting the virus and then spreading it to those closest to them. If you truly love your parents, your sisters, your best friends, please stick to the rules,” Ms Berejiklian said. “Flouting the rules is going to prolong the lockdown.”
Of the 50 new cases, 29 were from southwest Sydney and 16 from southeast Sydney.
Contact tracers are struggling to get ahead of transmission chains with 26 of the latest cases
infectious in the community. The source of 13 cases is under investigation.
“That is the number we need to get down to as close to zero as possible. When you know that there are 26 cases infectious in the community, the only conclusion we can draw is that things are going to get worse before they get better,” Ms Berejiklian said.
NSW chief health officer Dr Kerry Chant revealed at today’s Covid update that a teenager with the virus was in intensive care but was not ventilated.
Of the 47 people in hospital with the virus, 19 people were under age 55 and eight under 35.
“Of the 16 people in ICU, one is in their teens. One is in their 20s. One is in their 30s. One is in their 40s,” she said.
“Covid is a severe disease associated with hospitalisation and tragically in some circumstances death,” she said.
“My final message is that your loved ones and those you care about most are those that are going to be impacted if we don’t follow the health requirements, and the advice.”
The Premier and Dr Chant both expressed frustration at people not being truthful with contact tracers who were battling to get ahead of transmissions.
“When people withhold information, it means that their contacts are infectious —
potentially infectious in the community,” Ms Berejiklian
“Please tell the truth from the first minute rather than after repeated conversations, because otherwise you put your closest family and friends at the greatest risk, and that is something we don’t want to see.”
SHOPPING CENTRE ON HIGH ALERT
A customer who visited six shops at the busy Broadway Shopping Centre has tested positive to Covid-19.
The shopper was at the centre on Thursday, July 8 from midday to 2pm, and visited Kmart, JB HiFi, Coles, Aldi, Harvey Norman and Liquorland.
Anyone who was in any part of the shopping centre must monitor for symptoms and get tested if they appear.
The customer wore a mask and checked into all venues, and any close contacts will be contacted by NSW Health.
The centre is deep cleaned every night and remains open.
POLICE ISSUE FINES
A man hiding behind a shower curtain and a man pretending to deliver a package are among the 167 fined for Covid breaches.
Two parties were busted on Friday, including one at a home in Randwick and an 18th birthday party on the Central Coast.
About 1.20pm police found two men outside the home on Arthur St, Randwick where one claimed he was there delivering a package.
Police could not find any evidence of a package.
Eight men, aged between 31 and 50, were found around the home, including one man who was hiding from police behind a shower curtain.
They were all fined $1000 each.
About 9.40pm that night police were also called to a home in The Entrance where they found a group of six young people between 17 and 22 years old celebrating an 18th birthday.
The 17-year-old girl was given a warning, while the others were fined $1000.
Out of the 167 fines on Friday, 67 were handed out in south west Sydney where the police have an increased their resources.
76 of the fines were $200 mask breaches and a further 10 people were charged under the Public Health Order.
While checking compliance at hotels police also fined six guests at a hotel on Kent St in the CBD, including one woman who was wanted on an arrest warrant.
In a separate incident, a 25-year-Old female was arrested by Fairfield Police in the southwestern Sydney Covid “hot zone” after they observed her “stumbling” across The Crescent outside Fairfield Railway Station.
Shortly before midnight, Armidale police were called to a local pie shop after complaints people were not wearing masks.
It is understood police had already issued several warnings to The Pie Mechanic for not complying with the public health orders.
Upon arriving at the premises, police arrested three people who have been conditionally bailed to Armidale Local Court on July 26.
A fine was also issued for failing to wear a face mask.
PARTY CLUSTER GROWS
Police have been called to break up several parties despite tougher restrictions
Deputy Commissioner Gary Worboys said officers were called to Randwick where eight men were having a gathering in breach of public health orders, while at The Entrance police again were called to a residence where five people were having a party.
Dr Kerry Chant said such actions have consequences, with ten further cases recorded to 8pm last night linked to a gathering at the Meriton Suites Waterloo on June 26.
The new cases were contacts of people who attended the gathering and bring the total number of cases linked to this venue to 35.
JULY 10 UPDATE BY NUMBERS
– Of the 50 locally acquired cases, 37 are linked to a known case or cluster – 14 are household contacts and 23 are close contacts.
– source of infection for 13 cases remains under investigation.
– 13 cases were in isolation throughout their infectious period
– 11 cases were in isolation for part of their infectious period.
– 26 cases were infectious in the community.
There have been 489 locally acquired cases reported since 16 June 2021, when the first case in the Bondi cluster was reported.
There are currently 47 COVID-19 cases admitted to hospital, with 16 people in intensive care, five requiring ventilation.
There were 42,023 tests reported to 8pm last night, compared with the previous day’s total of 42,152.
NSW Health administered a record 22,121 COVID-19 vaccines in the 24 hours to 8pm last night, including 7,080 at the vaccination centre at Sydney Olympic Park.
PLEA FOR VACCINATION HUB
Fairfield mayor Frank Carbone has offered up the city’s showgrounds as a mass vaccination hub as medicos warn of growing coronavirus clusters in south-west Sydney.
Fairfield in particular has been under the intense focus of police who added more than 100 officers to local commands in a blitz on restriction breakers in the past two days.
The mayor’s offer comes as thousands of doses of Pfizer a week are due to be fast-tracked into NSW.
“Today I wrote to the Federal and State governments, offering to make the Fairfield Showground available for a pop-up Pfizer vaccination hub,” Cr Carbone said.
“Given the Prime Minister’s recent announcement about fast tracking the Pfizer vaccine roll out, I wanted to ensure that residents in South West Sydney including Fairfield have easy access to additional vaccination hubs.
“The Fairfield Showground is in the heart of Fairfield City and has the amenities and room to accommodate a pop-up Pfizer vaccination hub.
“The Fairfield Showground is accessible to those wanting a vaccination. This would bring testing and vaccination to the one easily accessible location.”
LOCKDOWN TO ‘LAST WEEKS’
Tough new lockdown conditions will force people to carry proof of address when out exercising to prove they are less than 10km from home. It comes as ministers privately discussed the prospect of the lockdown extending beyond August.
State ministers were yesterday privately discussing the prospect for a lockdown extending beyond August as Greater Sydney went back to a harsh regime of restrictions.
With Premier Gladys Berejiklian sticking to a zero-case strategy, the confirmation of 44 cases yesterday had some of ministers and MPs criticising the “week-to-week” lockdown strategy.
The last time NSW had 40 cases — April 12 last year — it took another month of a nationwide lockdown to achieve zero cases.
While no formal discussions have taken place on a possible end point, ministers and MPs hit the phones to discuss the grim reality.
“If numbers are still exploding, (the Premier) won’t go another week, she’ll go two,” one minister said.
“That’s what we’re all anticipating. I don’t see any way out of a five-week lockdown.”
Another minister said: “Basically, we’re delivering bad news each week. We should flag a longer lockdown with the promise of lifting it earlier if we get good compliance and low cases.”
The Premier appeared frustrated when speaking about the vaccine rollout, saying NSW could never tackle the Delta variant until there were more jabs in arms.
On Friday there were 14,000 close contacts in NSW, jumping from 7000 in the previous 24 hours.
Such is the heightened state of alert that staff in the emergency department of a hospital in Sydney’s southwest were yesterday being randomly swabbed, with masks upgraded to the higher level N95 model.
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