‘We have to protect our loved ones’: Kerry Chant is close to tears as she throws her weight behind NSW’s tighter restrictions to stop the spread of Delta including a curfew in western Sydney

By Olivia Day For Daily Mail Australia

Published: 02:34 BST, 20 August 2021 | Updated: 02:50 BST, 20 August 2021

NSW’s Chief Health Officer has delivered an emotional plea to Sydneysiders to protect their loved ones from the deadly virus as the state records 642 new cases. 

Dr Kerry Chant appeared close to tears as she reported four new Covid-19 deaths across the state, two women aged in their 80s and two men in their 70s and 80s. 

‘All of us have a responsibility to do out part to protect each other and our loved ones,’ the NSW health boss said.  

Dr Chant said one of the women who died became infected with the virus at the Wyoming aged care facility, bringing the death toll of this cluster to four. 

The other woman was a resident from south-western Sydney and died in Campbeltown Hospital. 

Of the two men that died, the man aged in his 80s died at Nepean Hospital where he acquired his infection and had received one dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine. 

The other man, aged in his 70s, died at St George Hospital having also received one dose of a Covid-19 vaccine. 

This brings the total number of fatalities to 65 deaths since the start of the outbreak on June 16 and the number of lives lost throughout the pandemic to 121. 

Dr Chant didn’t hold back as she threw her weight behind new restrictions announced by the Premier on Thursday. 

The raft of new rules include a 9am-5pm curfew for residents living in the 12 local government areas of concern in south-west and western Sydney and would be enforced from 12.01am Monday. 

Only authorised workers – including emergency and medical staff – will be allowed to leave their homes during the time period. 

‘I wanted to indicate that I strongly support this comprehensive bundle of new measures which complement other actions,’ Dr Chant said. 

‘We needed these measures to slow the growth of this escalating outbreak, and give us time to vaccinate our population, to save lives and prevent hospitalisation.’

The health boss revealed a staggering 470 people are currently hospitalised for Covid-19, with 80 patients in the intensive care unit. 

Dr Chant said the ‘vast majority’ of the people hospitalised were not vaccinated, while others had only received one dose of the vaccine.  

 

More to come. 

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