NSW has reported 642 new locally acquired cases of COVID-19 and four deaths as curfews are imposed in western Sydney’s council areas of concern and the city’s lockdown is extended to September 30.
All of NSW is currently locked down and facing enhanced police compliance measures as authorities battle to contain the spread of the virulent Delta strain.
There were 644 new local cases recorded in the 24 hours to 8pm on Thursday, but two were acquired in the ACT and are isolating in southern NSW.
Of those cases, the isolation status of more than 500 remain under investigation.
There were 27 new local cases in the Western NSW local health district, taking the tally in the area to 194.
Of the four deaths in the 24-hour reporting period, one was a man in his 70s, one was a man in his 80s and two were women in their 80s.
One of the women in her 80s was a resident of the Wyoming Aged Care facility in Summer Hill.
A permit system will from Saturday also come into force for people travelling between Greater Sydney and regional NSW.
Premier Gladys Berejiklian and Chief Health Officer Kerry Chant have repeatedly and vociferously denied the efficacy of curfews as a public health measure amid the outbreak.
Curfews from 9pm to 5am will nevertheless be imposed in western Sydney’s 12 local government areas of concern from Monday.
“While the evidence of curfews is mixed, the evidence to a lot of these things is mixed,” Ms Berejiklian said on Friday.
“But I do not want us to have to look back and say we did not try, we did not put everything into it.”
People in these areas will also be limited to one hour of exercise, and NSW Police will be given the power to lock down entire apartment blocks due to COVID-19 cases.
Masks will also be mandated at all times – indoors and outdoors – across NSW from Monday, unless exercising.
“This is also for police, it makes it easy for them to make sure that everybody is sticking to the rules so this (means) mask-wearing outdoors unless you’re exercising,” Ms Berejiklian said.
COVID-19 vaccinations for all NSW healthcare workers will also be mandated by the end of next month, and for childcare workers and disability support workers in the council areas of concern by August 30.
Greens health spokesperson Cate Faehrmann in a statement welcomed the change but said it should’ve been made sooner.
Additionally, authorised workers from the 12 local government areas of concern will be required to carry a Service NSW permit declaring they cannot work from home.
Anyone entering a council area of concern for work must also carry a worker permit.
Some 80 healthcare workers at Sydney’s St George Hospital are this week isolating due to COVID exposure in the oncology ward.
The government is currently looking at ways to give vaccinated people more freedom in September when the state has reached six million jabs, but is yet to outline this plan.
The Australian Medical Association warned the NSW government to not “take any chances” by easing any restrictions.
“We’ve seen in NSW and overseas that once the Delta virus takes hold, it is very hard to contain,” President Omar Khorshid said.
The state broke another record for daily vaccinations on Wednesday, with 132,439 people in NSW receiving the jab.
Some 55.2 per cent of people over 16 in NSW have now had at least one dose of the vaccine, with 29.32 per cent fully jabbed.
AAP
