NSW records 262 new locally acquired Covid-19 cases

If NSW can get to 6 million Covid-19 vaccinations by the end of August, these are the first restrictions premier Gladys Berejiklian said she would ease.

A return to school and to work is slated for Greater Sydney residents if New South Wales can hit a total of 6 million doses of Covid-19 vaccinations by August 28.

Premier Gladys Berejiklian revealed the target on Sunday, after NSW recorded 262 new locally acquired cases, with at least 50 of them active in the community while infectious.

The state has so far reached 4.4 million jabs.

“That is positive,” Ms Berejiklian said.

“This is a race. We are tracking well to hit our 6 million target (of at least one dose).

“I am keen to get to 6 million jabs by the end of August because that will provide us opportunities to consider what life looks like in September.”

West Australian Premier Mark McGowan was critical of the plan, given that target only represents 50 per cent of NSW’s population.

“That’s not the national agreement - the national agreement is that it’s 70 per cent vaccination rate of eligible people with two doses,” Mr McGowan told reporters.

“At that point in time, we change the rules.

“New South Wales can’t go it alone. We are a country. And if New South Wales goes it alone, eases restrictions, allows the virus to spread, then it could come to other states.

“We’re a nation that has agreed to a set of rules - they need to adhere to it.”

Sydney’s Town Hall looked like a ghost town on Sunday. Picture: NCA Newswire/Gaye Gerard

Ms Berejiklian and health officials insist the amount of Covid-19 deaths will be reduced if NSW can get to 6 million jabs and those two key restrictions can be eased.

“Our priorities as a government are getting face-to-face learning back, but also getting workers back to the workplaces,” Ms Berejiklian said.

“If certain categories of workers go back to work, it also means all citizens will perhaps have access to services they don't have access to (currently).”

Students will be only able to return to school on Monday if their school is not in a high-risk local government area (LGA), while a public health order prevents workers from attending offices unless they are essential workers.

For suburbs in Greater Sydney that are not in high-risk LGAs, the allowed reasons to leave home are:

• Shopping for food or other essential goods and service (within 10kms of home)
• Medical care or compassionate needs, including getting a Covid-19 vaccine
• Exercise outdoors in groups of two (within 10km)
• Essential work or education where you cannot work or study from home

However, people who live in the LGAs of Penrith, Blacktown, Campbelltown, Canterbury-Bankstown, Cumberland, Fairfield, Georges River, Liverpool and Parramatta can only leave home to:

• Obtain food or other goods and services (within 5km)
• For work if you cannot reasonably work from home and your workplace is in the same local government or if you are an authorised worker
• Education if it cannot be done at home
• Exercise (within 5km)
• Medical care, including obtaining a COVID-19 vaccination

Health workers performing Covid- 19 tests. Picture: NCA NewsWire/Sarah Matray.

The Penrith LGA is the latest to come under the eye of health officials, bringing it in line with restrictions in place in high-risk LGAs such as Blacktown and Campbelltown.

“Due to a notable increase in community transmission in recent days, 12 suburbs in the City of Penrith local government area will now be part of areas of concern, along with the eight previously identified LGAs, and have additional restrictions from 5pm today (Sunday),” a statement read.

“These suburbs, which are adjacent to the Cumberland and Liverpool LGAs, are Caddens, Claremont Meadows, Colyton, Erskine Park, Kemps Creek, Kingswood, Mount Vernon, North St Marys, Orchard Hills, Oxley Park, St Clair, and St Mary’s.”

People in these suburbs must only leave their house to obtain food or other goods and services or to exercise within 5km of their home.

Premier Gladys Berejiklian said NSW was ‘in a race’ to get jabs up. Picture: NCA Newswire/Gaye Gerard

You cannot travel to other areas for work unless you are an authorised worker.

A woman with the virus died overnight, bringing the number of Covid-related deaths during the current outbreak to 28.

Health officials confirmed the woman, aged in her 80s, was a resident at the Wyoming Residential Aged Care Facility in Summer Hill, which is at the centre of an outbreak, and died at Royal Prince Alfred Hospital.

There are currently 362 cases in hospital, with 58 people in intensive care, 24 of whom require ventilation.

There were 95,480 Covid tests in NSW in the 24 hours to 8pm on Saturday as well as 20,612 vaccinations.