The NSW Snowy Mountains region is going into a week-long lockdown and stay-at-home orders have been extended for more than a dozen local government areas in the state’s regions due to the spread of COVID-19.
NSW Chief Health Officer Kerry Chant remains concerned about the surge of cases in the regions.
“We are seeing an increase in cases in our regional areas,” she said on Thursday.
“We urge everyone in regional areas to take the opportunity to get vaccinated as quickly as possible but also to please keep presenting if you have any symptoms of COVID.”
She singled out the Illawarra and Hunter regions as particular areas of concern as both regions recorded 82 new cases.
NSW Health said lockdowns would be extended until October 11 in numerous regional LGAs.
The extension applies to: Bathurst Regional, Bourke, City of Broken Hill, Central Coast, City of Cessnock, Dubbo Regional, Eurobodalla, Goulburn Mulwaree, Kiama, City of Lake Macquarie, City of Lithgow, City of Maitland, City of Newcastle, Port Stephens, Queanbeyan-Palerang Regional, City of Shellharbour, City of Shoalhaven, and Wingecarribee.
The Snowy Monaro LGA will be locked down from 3pm on Thursday for seven days, with the stay-at-home orders applying to anyone who has been in the LGA since September 22.
On Wednesday night Oberon in the Central Tablelands was placed into lockdown for one week after recording 12 new cases while the neighbouring city of Bathurst recorded three new infections.
Meanwhile, stay-at-home orders will be lifted on Friday for Mid-Western Regional, Hilltops and Walgett LGAs.
In the Central Darling Shire Council, stay-at-home orders will be lifted on Friday, with the exceptions of Wilcannia and Menindee.
Lockdown orders will be extended in Menindee for a further seven days and in Wilcannia until October 11.
Of the 941 new locally acquired cases in NSW in the 24 hours to 8pm on Wednesday: 45 were in the Nepean Blue Mountains, 43 in western NSW, 36 on the Central Coast, 26 in southern NSW, three in the far west, three in northern NSW, two in the mid-north coast, and one in Murrumbidgee.
NSW Health’s ongoing sewage surveillance program has detected fragments of the virus in sewage samples from Tweed Banora Point, Gunnedah and South Grafton in northern NSW, Gulgong in western NSW, Dareton in the far west, and Moruya and Thredbo in southern NSW.
AAP
For more news:
- ACT records 31 new cases, 17 infectious in the community
- Queanbeyan records 14 new cases as Southern NSW outbreak continues
- Look after yourself during Mental Health Month
- Commonwealth to end virus business support in ACT, NSW, Victoria
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