There is a ‘50/50 chance’ Northern Rivers lockdown will end on Saturday

The NSW Crisis Committee will meet today to decide if the lockdown will end on Saturday, but people on the Northern Rivers may not know the result until tomorrow.

A QML Pathology drive-through Covid-19 testing clinic has been set up at the Cavanbah Centre on Ewingsdale Road, in Byron Bay, after a case was detected on the Northern Rivers. Monday, August 9, 2021.

As the NSW Government considers whether to end lockdown on the Northern Rivers, the QLD Premier has announced tougher new border restrictions.

NSW Deputy Premier John Barilaro said there was a “50/50 chance” the Northern Rivers lockdown will end on Saturday as the NSW Crisis Committee looks as Covid numbers and sewerage detection before making a decision.

The committee will meet this afternoon, and will discuss whether some Local Government Areas will come out of lockdown on Saturday.

The NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian will announce the decision tomorrow.

Meanwhile, Queensland recorded no new cases in the community, however the state has flagged Northern New South Wales as one of their greatest concerns.

Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk announced the state will be further tightening restrictions on who can cross the NSW border.

“There are stay at home orders in NSW – you should be staying at home unless you are an essential worker,” Ms Palaszczuk said.

Chief Health Officer Jeanette Young doubled down on the previous announcement that all people crossing will need at least one dose of the covid vaccine, stating the Broadbeach Centre on the Gold Coast would stay open late to help vaccinate border residents.

“We’re now going through just to make sure every single person coming across that border is genuinely necessary to the functioning of Queensland,” Dr Young said.

She said the state’s general directors would be working together to devise an exact list of who can cross over the border.

“The biggest risk to Queensland is that northern part of NSW,” Dr Young said.

News that Covid-19 fragments had been detected in the sewerage at Yamba was not good news for those hoping restrictions would ease soon.

There are no known cases of Covid in the Clarence Valley, and it was the first time during the outbreak Covid had been detected in the region.

The announcement came during the NSW Premier’s press conference this morning when it was announced there were 633 new cases of locally acquired Covid-19 in NSW.

NSW Police Deputy Commissioner Gary Worboys said 736 infringement notices were issued across NSW in the past 24 hours, and more than half were issued to people out without a reasonable excuse.

“It’s disappointing, there is absolutely no doubt about that,” Deputy Commissioner Worboys said.

“When you look at 448 of those issued to people who were moving outside of their house without a good reason, that again shows us that people are clearly want to step outside of the rules and put the safety of theirs and the community at risk.”

Visibly frustrated, Premier Gladys Berejiklian begged people to stay at home unless “absolutely necessary”, saying “we have not seen the worst of it yet”.

She said case numbers would continue to grow, and restrictions remain in place while people refused to obey the Public Health Orders.

“Care about your loved ones, even if you don’t care about us. Because you are risking their lives, and you are risking their livelihoods,” Ms Berejiklian said.

“Anywhere in the state you shouldn’t be going more than 5km from your home.”

“That’s the bottom line, you shouldn’t be leaving your home.”

The Premier acknowledged people in regional areas may need to travel further than 5km to reach their local shop.

The advice from NSW chief health officer Dr Kerry Chant was to stay at home unless absolutely necessary, and if you did leave home, shop local, stay local, and spend the least amount of time with other people as you can.