Coronavirus: NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian unveils ‘final list’ of restrictions

Faced with an unrelenting number of new Covid-19 cases, Gladys Berejiklian has imposed a range of strict new measures in a bid to get on top of the outbreak.

Sydney police do compliance tests on Coogee Bay Road in Coogee. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Damian Shaw

NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian has unveiled a ‘final list’ of new restrictions for parts of Sydney, after 644 new Covid-19 cases were announced, along with four more deaths.

At least 41 people infectious in the community, and the south west and western Sydney remain the key areas of concern.

Ms Berejiklian said rising case numbers had given her no choice but to extend the Greater Sydney lockdown until the end of September and introduce a curfew in the 12 LGAs of concern.

Ms Berejiklian announced there would also be a curfew introduced in the LGAs of concern which will run from 9pm until 5am.

Additional rules for 12 LGAs from 12.01 Monday:

• A curfew will be imposed from 9pm to 5am which authorities said would “help reduce the movement of young people”.
• Outdoor exercise will be reduced to one hour per day.
• All school exams or professional development related activities will be moved to online, except for those doing their HSC.
• The following retail venues must close except for click and collect: garden centres and plant nurseries, office supplies, hardware and building supplies, landscaping material supplies, rural supplies, and pet supplies.
  

NSW Police will also be given special powers to lockdown entire apartment complexes amid threats of Covid-19 infections.

Two residents are escorted and transported to hospital after the apartment building is locked down after being confirmed as a tier 1 exposure site in Hill Street, Campsie in Sydney's west. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Jeremy Piper

“Clearly, two fundamental things shifted this weekend in NSW,” Ms Berejiklian said. “The first was the sudden escalation of cases, and secondly the feedback from police about a handful of people flagrantly disregarding the rule.

“For that reason, I asked health and police to work together, to give me a final list of what we can throw at this, to leave no shadow of a doubt as to how serious we are about getting the rate of growth down, the case numbers down. I do not want to leave a shadow of a doubt.

“I want to extend my heartfelt empathy and gratitude to those populations are living in the four local government areas of concern, I know we all know, most of you are doing the right things, but it is to protect you and your loved ones that we are doing this.”

From midnight on Monday, unless people are exercising, masks must be worn outdoors at all times across NSW.

“From Monday at midnight, the Greater Sydney lockdown will extend until the end of September,” Ms Berejiklian said.

“I also want to state that the Central Coast and Shellharbour will be defined as regional.”

Ms Berejiklian said this will include all those areas that are currently in lockdown in Greater Sydney, except the Central Coast and Shellharbour.

NSW Police Commissioner Mick Fuller. Picture: NCA NewsWire/Bianca De Marchi

She said her government considered advice from police yesterday and decided to implement a 9pm to 5am curfew to help break chains of transmission across the region.

“Police will be stopping everybody who’s leaving their home from 9pm to 5am, and again this is based on police feedback received in the last few days about the type of activity that’s unfortunately being carried out by a small number of people.”

“I apologise deeply, to the vast majority of people in those communities for doing the right thing, but for our own health and safety we need to make these difficult decisions,” she said

Ms Berejiklian also said that residents in the 12 LGAs of concern limit their exercise to one hour a day.

NSW Police Commissioner Mick Fuller said authorities would continue to crack down on residents who break public health orders, focusing on those who choose to leave one of the 12 LGAs of concern.

“If someone enters an LGA of concern without excuse, not only will they be fined, they will be sent home and they will have to self isolate for 14 days.”

Commissioner Fuller said the new powers given to the NSW Police will allow authorities to declare and lockdown a residential property “at risk”.

He cited a case in Maroubra which led to eight infections following an illegal party.

“This is all about stopping the transmission of the virus from the areas of concern, those 12 LGA’s to the rest of Greater Sydney and certainly regional NSW. The police commission now has powers at residential premises that pose a Covid risk.”

Commissioner Fuller said new residential visits will not just make sure people comply with the health orders, but allow police and defence to “come across people who are gravely ill”.

Dr Kerry Chant said NSW Health supports the new powers given to the Police.

In relation to the new restrictions, Commissioner Fuller said: “In hindsight, I wish that I raised curfew day one.

“There has been a progressive lockdown based on the numbers, based on whether we think there is compliance in areas and the spread of the virus,” he said.

Ms Berejiklian conceded that the evidence that curfews were an effective tool against transmission remained unclear.

“While the evidence of curfews is mixed … I do not want us to have a look back and say we did not try, we do not put everything into,” she said.