A fuming Gladys Berejiklian has unleashed at Sydneysiders breaking lockdown rules and claiming they were unaware of them.
When asked by a reporter at Friday’s NSW Covid update whether there needed to be more clarity around the rules, the premier responded that the rules are already clear.
‘With the evolving health orders and police enforcement which seems to be increasing, there is still confusion around some of the public health orders,’ the reporter said.
‘For instance on the NSW Health website it says people can leave the red zone LGA’s to care elderly people but when you call Service NSW they say they can’t tell you whether a family member is allowed to go,’ he continues.
‘They say is up to the police officer at the time to enforce the rules. Are people meant to know whether they are breaking the rules and whether they can be subject to a fine?’
The Premier then fired back saying she believed almost everyone was aware of the rules and were pretending to not know them to do what they want.
‘It is pretty obvious to us and from the feedback we get from police that people use the health orders as an excuse to do the wrong thing,’ Ms Berejiklian said.
‘People are saying, oh, I didn’t know … Most of the time that is not true.’ she said.
‘People are knowingly doing the wrong thing. And pretending it is because they did not understand. We have been very clear about what the rules are.’
Ms Berejiklian then repeated people need to stay at home unless absolutely necessary to leave your house. And to make sure if experiencing symptoms they isolate and get a Covid test.
Gladys Berejkiklian (pictured on Friday) has said she is fed up with Sydneysiders breaking lockdown rules and claiming they didn’t know them
NSW has reported 390 new locally acquired cases of COVID-19 and at least 101 of those people were circulating in the community for all or part of their infectious period.
Two people have also died, including an unvaccinated woman in her 40s in Sydney and a vaccinated man in his 90s at the Hunter region. The toll for the current outbreak in NSW is now at least 38.
‘Behind every single statistic is a loved one, a family, and many carers,’ Premier Gladys Berejiklian said on Friday.
Greater Sydney and surrounding regions are in lockdown until at least August 28, as are multiple parts of regional NSW, as health authorities battle to contain an outbreak of the virulent Delta strain.
In the last 24 hours, 404 infringement notices have been issued and 41 people have been charged with breaching the public health order.
Yesterday a 19-year-old Rose Bay man was charged after travelling to the Byron Bay area – while a 52-year-old man remains before the courts relation to the same matter.
Police also overnight charged a 21-year-old female and a 20-year-old female with breaching the public health orders by travelling to the Newcastle area around two weeks ago.
Police said the woman had a history of non-compliance with the orders and that in both cases the people knowingly flouted the restrictions.
Ms Berejiklian said Blacktown and Mount Druitt in western Sydney had become areas of particular concern for health authorities, with a rise in cases.
There are currently 63 COVID-19 patients in NSW in intensive care, 30 of which are ventilated.
Meanwhile, almost 20 people linked to a special needs school in Sydney’s north have caught COVID-19, including students with severe autism.
NSW Health has uncovered 18 cases associated with the Giant Steps special education school in Gladesville including three staff, seven students and eight family members.
It comes after a COVID-positive person attended a vaccination hub at Qudos Bank Arena, currently being used for western Sydney’s Year 12 students. The arena is a casual contact site on the afternoon of August 10.
NSW Health officials are also ‘very concerned’ about the potential spread of COVID-19 among vulnerable regional communities, with the majority of new cases in Dubbo and Walgett diagnosed in Aboriginal people.
The cases led the state government to call a one-week snap lockdown for the Walgett, Dubbo, Bogan, Bourke, Brewarrina, Coonamble, Gilgandra, Narromine and Warren areas on Wednesday.
Federal Health Minister Greg Hunt on Thursday confirmed an additional 7680 Pfizer vaccines will be provided for the affected areas, including Walgett.
Western Local Health District Chief Executive Scott McLachlan confirmed the ‘vast majority’ of those cases were in Aboriginal people, including children.
NSW Health Minister Brad Hazzard on Thursday acknowledged there had been problems delivering adequate vaccine supplies to Walgett. He said there was strong demand for Pfizer in those communities.
The Dharriwaa Elders Group at Walgett issued an urgent request on Thursday evening for more trained nurses to support Aboriginal Medical Services.
Mr Hazzard admitted those services were understaffed.
Unions NSW on Friday called on National Cabinet to introduce paid isolation and COVID-19 testing leave for all Australian workers. In Victoria, workers who need to get tested and isolate are eligible for a $450 payment.