By Mike CrooksFriday 9 Jul 2021NewsReading Time: 3 minutes
The NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian said every resident should be shocked with today’s new COVID numbers, as the Government ushered in new restrictions.
Overnight, NSW recorded 44 new cases of COVID-19. The result is up six cases from the previous day.
Ms Berejiklian called the current spread “the biggest challenge” of the pandemic so far. She also flagged the possibility that Sydney could face a lockdown beyond Friday 16 July.
“Unless there is a dramatic turnaround in the numbers, I can’t see how we would be in a position to ease restrictions by next Friday,” said the Premier.
“I appreciate the message I’m delivering today is quite shocking for a lot of people, but I need everyone to be shocked.
“I appreciate the message I’m delivering today is quite shocking for a lot of people, but I need everyone to be shocked,” – NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian
“Because when I said just a few days before we had to go into lockdown, that this was the scariest period for NSW during the pandemic, unfortunately those words are absolutely the case.”
Due to the growing number of cases, restrictions will be tightened even further across Greater Sydney, from 5pm today.
This includes the Central Coast, Blue Mountains, Wollongong and Shellharbour.
New restrictions
- Outdoor public gatherings – including for exercise – are limited to two people. This limit excludes members of the same household.
- Residents must stay in their Local Government Area – or within 10km of their residential address.
- When travelling in a car, no members of other households are permitted as passengers.
- Browsing in shops is prohibited.
- Funerals are limited to 10 people in total (from Sunday 11 July).
Four reasons to leave home
The reasons for leaving your home remain as per the restrictions already in place:
- Shopping for food or other essential goods and services (one person per household only).
- To receive medical care, or to visit a loved one either on compassionate grounds or to provide care/assistance (only one visitor at a time).
- Exercise (a maximum of two people at a time – unless members of the same household).
- Essential work, or education, where you cannot work or study from home.
Restrictions in regional NSW remain unchanged.
NSW Government latest COVID-19 news and updates
Dangers of Delta
Despite members of her cabinet suggesting that NSW should learn to live with COVID-19’s highly transmissible Delta variant, the NSW Premier has slammed the door shut on such a proposal.
Ms Berejiklian pointed out that the circulation of Delta would have dire consequences for the health of NSW residents and the State’s economy.
“If you think you can live with this and it goes wild in the community, nobody will be going to a restaurant or a bar when there are thousands and thousands of cases, thousands of deaths,” said Ms Berejiklian.
“So I want to stress that the economic impact of trying to live with this is as severe as the health impact.
“NSW – in fact, no state or nation or any country on the planet – can live with the Delta variant when our vaccination rates are so low.
“So please, do not think that the NSW Government thinks we can live with this when our rate of vaccination is only at nine per cent.
“Because if we chose to live with this while the rates of vaccinations are at nine per cent, we will see thousands and thousands of hospitalisations and death.”