And, with that, we'll close this NSW blog for today.
Join us again tomorrow for another wild day and stay safe.
Live Covid updates NSW: Coronavirus outbreak grows in NSW
The NSW Premier has revealed when she expects cases will finally start to drop, but only if transmissions are reduced in two key areas.
NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian says her tougher new lockdown rules will have an effect on case numbers in a matter of days, but only if transmissions are reduced in two key areas.
She said New South Wales recorded new 98 cases of community transmission.
Twenty of those were infectious in the community, and to end the lockdown she said that specific figure needed to come down.
She said transmission between family homes and at workplace work places needed to also come down.
"I am convinced if we work together, we will see that number go down, we will not see the effect of the harsh restrictions for another four or five days," she said. "But I know they are there to be had of all of us stick together and work hard."
Read more in the blog below.
Updates
Closing the blog
New close contact venues in NSW
NSW Health has been notified of a number of new venues of concern associated with confirmed cases of Covid‑19.
Anyone who attended the following venue on the times listed is a close contact and must get tested and isolate for 14 days, regardless of the result, and call 1800 943 553 unless they have already been contacted by NSW Health:
Summer Hill, Café Juliet, Thursday 8 July, 11.30am – 12pm
Lakemba, Paradise Grocery, Sunday 11 July, 4.45pm – 5.05pm
There are also more casual contact venues. You can find the full list here.
Katie Hopkins is outta here
Far-right commentator Katie Hopkins has packed her bags and left the country after her visa was cancelled overnight.
This comes after her broadcast of live video from a Sydney hotel room on Saturday morning telling how she was trying to “frighten” security guards.
Picture by Matrix
Dan’s grim NSW-Victoria border warning
By Caroline Schelle
Victoria’s Premier has warned the border with NSW could remain closed for some time, saying the virus had to first be “pulled up” in Sydney.
“I can’t rule out certainly further changes and further limiting movement from NSW to Victoria,” Mr Andrews told reporters, after confirming the state’s lockdown would be extended beyond Tuesday.
The Premier said a new infection in regional NSW showed that they had made the right call in classifying the state as a red zone – which means non-Victorian residents are not allowed to enter without an exemption.
SA records new local virus case
South Australia has recorded a new locally acquired case of Covid-19.
Premier Steven Marshall made the announcement on Monday, saying the 81-year-old man had tested positive after travelling to Argentina with his daughter and was vaccinated with a single dose of the vaccine while there.
Virus fears 5 hours from Sydney
By James Hall
The “areas of concern” have spilt well beyond central Sydney and the western suburbs as health authorities issue alerts for a number of regional NSW towns.
Chief health officer Kerry Chant has once again urged residents from known hot spots across Sydney to follow lockdown directions and stay away from smaller and more vulnerable towns.
Residents in Parkes and Blayney are now on high alert, with calls for testing to be ramped up, as well as Coffs Harbour and Wollongong.
Victoria extends its lockdown
Victoria’s fifth lockdown has been extended as the state grapples with a super-spreading Delta outbreak.
Premier Daniel Andrews said the lockdown will be extended beyond Tuesday at midnight.
“To do so would not be the right thing to do. It would be, perhaps, a few days of sunshine, and then a very high chance we would be back in lockdown again, that is what I’m trying to avoid, we are trying to do this properly and bring the cases to an end,” he said.
No sting involved in catching the TikTok leaker
NSW Health Minister Brad Hazzard has spoken has NSW's daily Covid cases being leaked on TikTok – saying there was no sting involved.
"Can I say it was a disappointment that something as serious as our messaging to the community in a pandemic… clearly somebody in the system was feeling the need to disclose those figures to somebody who was not an appropriate person to be making commentary about it," he said.
"And so, (NSW) Health looked at the issues around that. I saw someone saying a social media that it was a sting, no it wasn't. It was looking at what the issues were and making sure that the system was such that the information could be kept to the appropriate time when messaging to the community."
Two new vaccination centres have opened
Two new NSW Health vaccination centres have opened their doors this morning.
The mass vaccination centre in Belmont, Lake Macquarie, which has been transformed from an old Bunnings Warehouse into a vaccine centre in six weeks, began administering jabs this morning.
The centre will have capacity to administer up to 20,000 Pfizer vaccinations each week and will employ around 100 nurses, 25 pharmacists/pharmacy technicians, and around 200 other support staff.
The new vaccination clinic on Pitt Street in the Sydney CBD also began administering vaccines this morning, and has capacity to administer up to 7,000 Pfizer vaccinations each week.
Vaccinating kids will play a "key role" in NSW rollout
Dr Kerry Chant said our journey towards living with Covid will be a long one – and that children being vaccinated will play a key role.
"A couple of the characteristics of Delta strain is that we are seeing more infections from children spreading, which is not a characteristic we had observed with previous strands. It means we need to rethink and think about our role of vaccinating children," she said.
"It is pleasing to see in some countries overseas that we have vaccines that are licensed for use in children, and I know the regulator, the TGA, as often continually considering the vaccine.
"At the moment we have a shortage of supply. But, we do have adequate supplies of AstraZeneca vaccine and I am urging the population coverage – even for the over 60s – is not high enough and we have a good vaccine that can be used, where the risk of hospitalisation and death is very high as age increases.
"I think we need to see that our journey of living with Covid is going to be a long one. We will have to adjust to whatever the virus delivers ours. We will respond.
"That is why it is always hard to make fixed statements, but in short, I think there will be a key role for vaccinating children and also having booster vaccination rolled out quite quickly as well."
Bali travel chaos as flights cancelled
Wild volcanic eruptions in Indonesia have caused Australian airlines to cancel multiple flights, leaving Aussies stranded and feeling frustrated.
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Toddler killed after being pulled from dam
The toddler was rushed to hospital in a critical condition after being pulled from a dam on a NSW property, with police launching inquiries.
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Man’s wild act that cost him $790
Police were shocked to realise their car was involved in an unusual incident after receiving a call from a local security guard.
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