‘A blunt commitment’ – Deputy premier John Barilaro’s plan to get regions out of lockdown by August 28

The NSW Government will look at three specific conditions to decide who will remain under restrictions and who will get out of lockdown after August 28.

Lockdown ended, children back to school and only a few restrictions remaining are the intention NSW deputy premier John Barilaro has for regional NSW by August 28.

“Next Saturday, out intention is to lift restrictions in regional and rural NSW,” he said.

“That’s almost a blunt commitment.”

The pathway out of lockdown was the only hope he could offer regional NSW after the NSW Government extended the statewide lockdown for another week, until August 28.

Mr Barilaro said the lifting of the restrictions will be based by local government area, and based on certain parameters.

“Are there any active Covid cases in that LGA? Are there any fragments in the sewerage surveillance? Are you adjoining another LGA with high case numbers? If you tick any of those boxes, you won’t be coming out and you’ll be looking at an LGA approach, ” he said.

“I’m confident that as of Saturday, or by next Monday, kids will be resuming school in regional and rural NSW.”

SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA – NewsWire Photos AUGUST 19, 2021 – NSW Deputy Premier John Barilaro provides an update on COVID-19. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Christian Gilles

Asked how can he be so confident about this, the Deputy Premier said he trusts the regions will hit those marks.

“I can be confident because that gives us two weeks of sewerage surveillance,” he said.

“If we are reporting numbers in new areas right across the regions, there are other hotspots or more outbreaks in more LGAs that could risk all of that.

“If we are finding that a small numbers of LGAs have come out given that criteria, you may be better off leaving everything locked down, but we are not seeing that.

“All the data clearly shows that the issue in the central west and the far west is contained.”