97 new locally acquired cases of Covid-19 recorded in NSW as calls for more testing continue
Residents in 140 suburbs are urged to come forward for testing after NSW recorded 97 cases and extended its lockdown by another two weeks.
NSW Health officials have added 140 suburbs across Greater Sydney as being of significant concern after the state recorded 97 new Covid-19 infections.
Lockdown for greater Sydney has been extended for two weeks, premier Gladys Berejiklian announced on Tuesday, with infectious people continuing to circulate in the community proving a problem in reducing case numbers.
She revealed 24 of Wednesday’s cases were in the community while infectious.
Ms Berejiklian said she would reassess whether lockdown could end closer to July 30, when it is now set to finish.
Of the 97 cases, 61 were linked to a known case or cluster – 45 were household contacts and 16 were close contacts – and the source of infection for 36 cases remains under investigation.
But it was the 70 new cases coming from southwest Sydney Local Health District that have officials worried.
“Most of (the 70) were from Fairfield,” Ms Berejiklian said.
“It is important that we don't keep losing focus on adjacent local government areas of Liverpool and also Canterbury Bankstown.
“The (other) areas of concern are Fairfield local government area, as well as Roselands, Rosebery, Canterbury, Belmore, Sutherland Shire, the St George area, Windsor, St Ives, Penrith and the Bayside local government area.”
Essential workers who live in Fairfield but conduct business in other LGAs must get tested every 72 hours.
Ms Berejiklian also apologised for a debacle in Fairfield on Tuesday that saw mass queues as worried residents waited hours as they scrambled to get tested, as they were advised.
“We accept that people had to wait a long time, we experienced this as well as the Northern Beaches,“ she says.
“What is important for us is to communicate our decisions as quickly as we can and then provide that operational support.
“The health orders do say that it is not until the weekend that that comes into place, but we appreciate a lot of people came forward to get tested and we are deeply grateful for that.”
NSW chief health officer Dr Kerry Chant said workplace transmission continued to be a concern.
“(Of the new infections) the majority of the close contacts are household contacts but we are seeing unlinked cases of the source, which are actively being investigated,” Dr Chant said.
“The pattern indicated is household transmission but we are seeing some in workplaces so again, a reminder that for those essential businesses, they ensure they have those Covid-safe practices in place.”
14 of Wednesday’s cases were from southeast Sydney, five were from inner Sydney, four were from western Sydney, two were from northern Sydney and two were from the Nepean Blue/Mountains area.
There are currently 71 cases in hospital, with 20 people in intensive care – four of whom require ventilation.
Breakdown of nsw’s 97 new cases
- 97 new cases
- 24 were infectious in the community
- 70 of those cases were in southwest Sydney
- 65,000 tests were conducted overnight
- Lockdown is extended another two weeks
- 71 people are hospitalised
- 20 people in ICU
- 201 tickets written for public infringement notices
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