The lockdown across Greater Sydney has been extended until the end of September, premier Gladys Berejiklian has announced. Cases continue to climb across the state, with the state recording 642 cases overnight, as well as four deaths. In order to tackle the relentless spread of the virus, particularly in Sydney’s west, where the vast majority of cases are emerging, a series of new health orders will come into effect from 12.01am on Monday, August 23.
Masks will be mandatory statewide at all times when you are outside of the home, both indoors and outdoors.
In the 12 hotspot LGAs – Fairfield, Burwood, Canterbury-Bankstown, Penrith, Strathfield, Bayside, Parramatta, Liverpool, Campbelltown, Blacktown, Cumberland and Georges River – curfews will be in effect between 9pm and 5am, and outdoor exercise will be limited to one hour per day. People will only be allowed to leave their homes after curfew for emergency reasons.
All professional development activities or learning must be done remotely, and retail outlets like plant nurseries and office supply stores will only be able to provide click and collect services. It will also be mandatory for childcare workers and disability care workers in the hotspot LGAs to be vaccinated.
NSW police have been granted even stronger powers to enforce compliance with these strict new measures. Anyone residing within one of the hotspot LGAs who has travelled outside of that LGA without a valid reason will be issued a $5,000 fine and a legally binding "return home" order. Breaking this order can result in being remanded in custody. Conversely, anyone residing outside of the hotspot LGAs who has entered one of those LGAs without a valid reason will also be issued with $5,000 and will be legally required to isolate at home for 14 days.
Police commissioner Michael Fuller also said that authorities would have the power to enact snap lockdown measures on apartment blocks if someone infected was living there, to prevent potential breaches of isolation.
The news is slightly less bleak for the regions, where the lockdown will be managed separately to Greater Sydney's. Shellharbour and the Central Coast will also now be considered part of "regional NSW" rather than Greater Sydney, which may allow these areas to unlock sooner in due course. The current regional lockdown has been extended until August 31.