NSW lockdown rules may be too ‘soft’ and could see restrictions extended

There’s increasing nervousness that NSW’s brutal two-week lockdown could be extended, with one expert saying some rules were too “soft”.

NSW lockdown rules may be too “soft” and could derail the state’s chances of easing restrictions by the end of next week, one expert says.

There is increasing nervousness about the prospect of an extended lockdown, with the state announcing 31 new cases on Friday. More concerning was the fact that 13 cases were active in the community while infectious.

On Thursday, 11 of 24 cases announced had circulated in the community while infectious.

NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian told reporters on Friday the cases emerging now were those infected on the days before, or on the day of the start of lockdown.

“We are anticipating there could be an increase in numbers over the next few days … hopefully early next week we should see the impact of the lockdown really turning and having a positive impact,” she said.

Deakin University epidemiologist Professor Catherine Bennett told news.com.au that cases over the next few days would be crucial in determining whether the lockdown would need to be extended.

She said much would depend on when authorities started seeing that all new cases were linked to existing outbreaks and isolating during their entire infectious period.

“If we can have most of the week looking like that, we can ease restrictions,” she said.

“But we don’t want to have one day of that just before the end of lockdown, we want to have a few days at least to make sure it’s contained.

“We haven’t got there in the first week and that’s disappointing but it shows the importance of lockdown.”

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NSW Police seen telling people to move on as they patrol the streets of Kings Cross on Thursday. Picture: Matrix Media Group

Prof Bennett said one advantage of the Delta variant is that it is more infectious, so anyone who got it quickly passed it on others, making it more likely to be detected.

“It doesn’t hide in the community,” she said, which is different to the original strain, where you could get “sleeper infections” popping up a month later.

“So we can contain it in a lockdown in a short time frame,” she said.

However, Prof Bennett said if authorities really wanted to “shut this down” and ensure the lockdown did finish next Friday as planned, they needed to be more strict on closing non essential businesses.

She said allowing businesses to remain open would entice people to go out shopping, which could see cases continue to circulate around the retail sector.

“Soft lockdown is not working,” she said.

“It is better to tell businesses to close because then people will stay home as businesses are not open.”

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People at Bondi Beach during lockdown this week. Picture: NCA NewsWire/Christian Gilles

Prof Bennett said essential businesses should be limited to things like the post office, bakery and grocery stores.

Other businesses, such as hardware stores, should be forced to close except if they offered pick up or delivery services.

The NSW public health order only prohibits specific retail businesses including hairdressers, spas, nail salons, beauty salons, waxing salons, tanning salons, tattoo parlours and massage parlours.

SDA, the union for retail, fast food and warehousing workers, has said the lack of clarity about what an “essential” business is, has left retailers to decide whether to open or not. Many were now opening due to financial reasons.

“I would think clothing stores do not constitute an essential service,” Prof Bennett said.

“A lot of large grocery stores also have essentials covered such as underwear.”

Prof Bennett said authorities should just force most businesses to close as most were suffering anyway, or were already closed because it was not economical to stay open.

“This would just make it consistent across the board,” she said.

“I think NSW should take a firmer approach even just for the second week.”

Her views echo many on social media who have commented on NSW’s lax lockdown.

“In my suburb I can get my palm read, buy a new engagement ring, clothing, balloons at the $2 shops, a new guitar at the music shop etc etc. Nothing is shut apart from hairdressers and nail salons,” one Twitter user said.

Another said it seemed to be a “pretend lockdown”.

“So many shops open that don’t appear to be essential. So few mask wearers in the streets.”

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The NSW Premier acknowledged on Thursday that there had been “too many examples” of people leaving the house with symptoms and going to work and then going out shopping or conducting other activities, unknowingly passing on the virus.

“We can’t afford to have people continue to have the virus going about their business,” she said.

On Friday she said the 13 cases who had been circulating in the community while infectious was “concerning”, and urged residents to follow the rules.

“I want to stress to the community, stay at home and do not leave the house unless you absolutely have to,” she said.

Ms Berejiklian said the next few days were critical but she was relieved that the case numbers were not as bad as they could have been.

She noted other states and other jurisdictions around the world had seen a doubling or tripling of cases, which is what NSW had been afraid of but had so far avoided.

When asked about a potential lockdown extension, NSW chief health officer Dr Kerry Chant gave nothing away at a press conference on Friday, saying “I’m not commenting at all about future settings”.

She also chose not to comment on Nine News reports she spoke with the Australian Health Protection Principal Committee (AHPPC) to inform them that an extension of the lockdown may be necessary.

Prof Bennett said covid testing rates in NSW were amazing and the chances of finding other cases not linked to current outbreaks was diminishing.

“It hasn’t taken off and that’s been the great news but you just don’t want to see it plodding along, you want to see it pulled in,” she said.

“I think the weekend will be pivotal and the more strict everyone is, the less chance there will be of starting a new cluster that sets you back.

“We just have to stop finding other clusters.”

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