Four reasons to leave home, no curfew, shops open and weddings ON for tomorrow: Everything you need to know about the two-week lockdown hitting Sydney tonight
- Lockdown from 6pm on Saturday confirmed by NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian
- Comes after coronavirus outbreak has ballooned to highly concerning 80 cases
- Residents in Greater Sydney, Blue Mountains and Central Coast all affected
- Also applies to Wollongong on the NSW south coast, is a two-week lockdown
Greater Sydney, the Blue Mountains, the Central Coast and Wollongong will go into a 14-day lockdown from 6pm on Saturday.
Residents in the affected areas will only be able to leave home for essential reasons, NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian announced.
People may only leave their homes for work, to shop for essential items, to seek medical care, or for caregiving or compassionate reasons.
Shops such as supermarkets will remain open with usual trading hours, and weddings can still go ahead on Sunday.
Greater Sydney, the Blue Mountains, the Central Coast and Wollongong will go into a 14-day lockdown from 6pm on Saturday (pictured, transport workers at a deserted Central Station in Sydney)
The CBD is currently resembling a ghost town – and will be even more so after it was announced Sydney will go into a lockdown from 6pm on Saturday until July 9
Exercise outdoors is permitted in groups of up to ten people, and Covid-safe funerals can proceed with up to 100 people.
Ms Berejiklian also urged people not to panic buy, or stress about their finances.
Shops will remain open and financial assistance will be available.
The lockdown has been imposed until July 9 – but could be lifted earlier, according to NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian.
Speaking outside NSW Health headquarters at St Leonards on Sydney’s north shore, she said the lockdown was decided after consulting a number of health experts.
‘The NSW government has always prided itself on taking the right advice,’ she told reporters.
‘Even though we don’t want to impose burdens unless we absolutely have to, unfortunately, this is a situation where we have to.’
Health authorities are scrambling to regain control of the outbreak, which has ballooned to 80 cases.
It comes after another 12 new cases were recorded in NSW and exposure venues spread beyond the designated hotspot areas to communities including the northern beaches and western Sydney, where people have potentially been infectious for days.
NSW Health Minister Brad Hazzard has pleaded for patience and co-operation as authorities determine how best to control the outbreak.
‘The Delta variant is proving to be a very formidable foe,’ he said.
‘No matter what defensive steps we’re taking at the moment, the virus seems to understand how to counter attack.’