Coronavirus restrictions overhaul on agenda

Southwestern Sydney could be placed into a harder lockdown while restrictions would be relaxed in areas barely affected by Covid.

Lockdown Bondi Beach-style: police patrol the internationally famous Sydney eastern suburbs promenade on Thursday. Picture: Justin Lloyd.

Southwestern Sydney could be placed into a harder lockdown while restrictions would be relaxed in communities barely affected by Covid-19, under plans being considered by some government officials to ease the state out of lockdown as efforts continue to suppress the virus.

While officials continue to wait for weekend data to determine whether the city’s lockdown settings have been successful, members of the state’s crisis cabinet are turning their mind to transition plans to relieve pressure on communities largely untouched by the virus.

This would include easing restrictions for additional areas of Greater Sydney, although formal discussions about the matter are likely to occur only next week.

Premier Gladys Berejiklian said on Thursday the weekend numbers would shape the government’s thinking around the future of the current lockdown, which is due to expire on July 31 but is almost certain to be extended.

Authorities are concerned that Covid-19 cases in the community are not falling, and that the number infectious while in the community is increasing.

In the 24 hours to 8pm on Wednesday, the state recorded 124 fresh cases of the virus, of which 70 were known to be infectious in the community.

A further 17 cases are being investigated for their isolation status, officials said.

The southwestern Sydney regions of Fairfield, Canterbury-Bankstown and Liverpool remain epicentres of Covid-19 infection and may face further tightening of restrictions because of what some officials privately describe as ­flagrant rule-breaking.

They said some individuals were concealing the truth about their movements during interviews with contact tracers, stifling attempts to release timely information about at-risk locations and reduce mobility among residents.

Others were continuing to work for cash payments, or concealing information for other personal reasons, The Australian has been told.

Several regions of Greater Sydney are being eyed for eased restrictions, including the northern beaches, Shellharbour Local Government Area and the central coast, all of which have seen few, if any, cases of the virus since the outbreak began on June 16.

Kiama MP Gareth Ward wrote to NSW Health Minister Brad Hazzard on Thursday again urging the government to rethink its restrictions for Shellharbour, which has seen one case of Covid-19 since June and weeks without additional transmission.

“It is totally unreasonable to keep the people of the Shellharbour LGA in lockdown. If circumstances change, restrictions could be reconsidered,” Mr Ward wrote.

The prevailing view within government is that current lockdown settings are not sustainable as a medium-to-long-term measure and require adjustment as the state edges towards its proposed termination date of July 31.

They were originally supported as a short-term measure by some members of the crisis cabinet. The Australian understands this includes NSW Treasury secretary Mike Pratt, although when it was put to Mr Pratt, a Treasury spokesman said: “We don’t comment on crisis cabinet discussions.”

The majority of Covid-19 cases recorded on Wednesday were in the South Western Sydney Local Health District, which detected 54 positive cases. Another 40 cases were identified in Western Sydney LHD, 18 in the Sydney LHD and eight in South Eastern Sydney LHD.

Fewer than five cases in total were discovered across the Northern Sydney LHD, Illawarra Shoalhaven LHD and Nepean Blue Mountains LHD.

With the state ending its fourth week in lockdown on Friday, concerns are being raised in some quarters that the present settings are not working aggressively enough to suppress the virus.

Ms Berejiklian has argued the opposite, saying the success of the lockdown should be measured in the number of people who have not fallen ill and required hospitalisation. She said on Thursday it was likely cases would continue to rise over coming days, especially if testing numbers remained at high levels: 85,815 tests were recorded by Wednesday night.