Sydney’s lockdown should be HARSHER with the same rules in every suburb because ‘Covid doesn’t respect geography’, top doctor says
- Head of the Australian Medical Association has called for a harsher lockdown
- Dr Omar Khorshid said clear rules should be applied across Greater Sydney
- He said: ‘Covid-19 does not respect geography or local government boundaries’
- Dr Khorshid also urged those considering attending protests to stay at home
The head doctor of Australia’s medical governing body has called for a more consistent lockdown across all of Greater Sydney.
Dr Omar Khorshid, head of the Australian Medical Association, said Covid-19 doesn’t recognise suburb boundaries and clearer rules applied in all areas will slow the virus.
At present eight LGAs are under tighter restrictions than the rest of the city, with the whole of Greater Sydney under lockdown until at least the end of August as it battles an outbreak of the highly-infectious Delta strain.
Currently, eight LGAs have tighter restrictions than the rest of Greater Sydney, as four more weeks of lockdown was announced on July 28 but Dr Khorshid said clearer lockdown rules should be introduced across Greater Sydney
Dr Omar Khorshid (pictured), head of the Australian Medical Association has called for a harsher and clearer lockdown across all of Greater Sydney as he says Covid-19 doesn’t respect geography or local government borders
‘COVID-19 does not respect geography or local government boundaries on a map, and clear and simple rules applied everywhere will make a difference – including mandatory mask wearing indoors and outdoors when outside the home,’ Dr Korshid told 9news.
‘We don’t know if it will be possible to eliminate the Delta strain from Sydney, but the benefits of doing so will be enormous and worth the inconvenience, disruption and real hardship being faced by all of Sydney at the moment’.
While Dr Khorshid urged anyone considering going to any protests to stay home as they are only potentially extending the lockdown they are against.
‘If you want to be part of the solution, go get the vaccine and stay at home,’ he said.
Up to a thousand police officers will be on duty to meet anyone considering attending an anti-lockdown protest in Sydney this weekend, NSW Police Commissioner Mick Fuller has warned.
Mr Fuller told a press conference on Friday that police had already detained 60 people from last week’s protests and issued more than 200 infringement notices.
The commissioner said police had to ‘expect there’s going to be a protest’ after monitoring online activity.
At present eight LGAs are under tighter restrictions than the rest of the city, with the whole city under lockdown until the end of August at the earliest
NSW Chief Medical Officer Kerry Chant said authorities were still investigating whether a COVID-positive person had attended last Saturday’s protest, which saw thousands march through Sydney’s CBD demonstrating against the state’s lockdown laws.
NSW Police have confirmed a 35-year-old man from Granville, in Sydney’s west, was caught more than 20km away at the city’s central station by police targeting protesters, despite being subject to stay-at-home orders.
The man, who was fined $1,000 dollars, was directed home and tested positive to COVID the next day.
A NSW Police strike force was set up following last week’s protests with up to 20,000 tip-offs to Crime Stoppers about attendees, with photos and names sent to police.
On Friday Mr Fuller said police will be waiting for anyone planning to protest this weekend, and they had been given plenty of warnings.