NSW premier Gladys Berejiklian has again ramped up restrictions in Sydney for the fourth day in a row, including placing all people who live or work in four of the city’s largest local government areas into lockdown for seven days. Any Sydneysiders residing in or visiting Woollahra, Waverley, Randwick and the City of Sydney, including the CBD, will be under the snap lockdown orders until Friday, July 2. This will impact millions of Sydneysiders, including thousands beyond the hot spot LGAs, as the areas affected are some of the most densely populated in the city, with many people commuting in from Sydney’s outer suburbs to work in and around the CBD.
All but one of the new cases recorded since the media briefing on June 24 are linked to existing clusters. However, due to the high transmissibility of the Delta strain that is spreading in Sydney, people living or working in any of the four identified hot spot LGAs must stay at home except for work, essential shopping, care-giving or exercise. Exercise groups must be limited to no more than ten participants in an outdoor setting, and masks must be worn at all times when outside of the home.
Chief Health Officer Kerry Chant said that the reason stay-at-home orders extended to workers as well as residents of the four hot spots was to prevent the virus seeding in Western and Southwestern Sydney, which could force the rest of Greater Sydney into lockdown.
All other residents of Greater Sydney outside of the hotspot LGAs will have to wear masks in all indoor settings and limit household visitors to five people until Friday, July 2.