Live breaking news: NSW covid cases, restrictions, lockdown: Devastating removalists details revealed
NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian has announced another 110 new infections in Greater Sydney, 43 of who were infectious while in the community.┬а
тАЬThat is a high number but a number which reflects the high amount of testing that we had. What is concerning, however, is that 43 people in those number of cases were infectious in the community,тАЭ Ms Berejiklian said.
тАЬNow, I want to stress that you might not have any symptoms and not know you have the virus and still be infectious. Those 43 people havenтАЩt necessarily done the wrong thing.
тАЬBut what it does show is how infectious and contagious the virus is so it means that every time you have contact with another human being you risk either getting the virus or passing the virus on.тАЭ
It comes after an infectious disease expert warned Sydney may never hit zero community transmission again because of how fast the Delta variant spreads.
тАЬThere are various pathways we may head down over the coming weeks and months тАж and I hope we do get back to zero transmission but it may not be feasible,тАЭ Professor Greg Dore, an epidemiologist with the Kirby Institute, told 2GB radio.
тАЬThe delta variant is different тАж once itтАЩs well established in the community and once youтАЩve got several hundred active cases in the community it will be tougher, and weтАЩre getting 30 to 40 cases a day that are not in home quarantine.
тАЬEven though weтАЩre under lockdown there are opportunities for those people to pass the virus on.тАЭ
You can read more and follow our live coverage in the blog below. For the latest on Victoria, we have a separate blog here.
Live Updates
After doing the rounds on breakfast radio today, Prime Minister Scott Morrison will give a press conference in about half an hour’s time.
We’ll bring you all the key updates from that here.
Retired Australian boxing great Anthony Mundine has been fined for breaching Covid protocols for the second time within weeks.
Mundine allegedly entered the Bunnings store in Kingsgrove on Tuesday afternoon without a mask before claiming he had an exemption when a store member asked him to wear one.
He then allegedly refused to scan the QR code at the store entrance.
Police said he purchased something and left a short time later.
Detectives attached to Campsie Police Area Command launched an investigation on Tuesday night after they were called to the Bunnings store.
Officers then visited a home in South Hurstville where they spoke to Mundine before issuing him another $1000 fine for breaking Covid rules.
тАУ Additional reporting NCA NewsWire
And in South Australia, eligible residents are being urged to book in for their Covid-19 vaccination, after the Premier revealed hundreds of appointments available this week have not been filled.
The call to arms comes as the state recorded one new case of local transmission, the sixth in the SA Delta cluster which plunged the state into lockdown.
Premier Steven Marshall said despite the slow take-up, there had still been a record amount of vaccinations administered in the state’s clinics on Tuesday.
“We know vaccines are our pathway out of these stop-again-start-again lockdowns being experienced around Australia at the moment,” Mr Marshall said.
“Looking at the website, there are still about 700 appointments available over the next seven daysтАжPlease go onto the SA Health website to see if you are eligible for the vaccination. This is our pathway out.”
тАУ Additional reporting NCA NewsWire
There’s been a press conference going on in Victoria as well, where the government believes its current lockdown тАУ and the extension of it тАУ is working against the Delta variant.
Health Minister Martin Foley told reporters that data showed the shutdown was effective.
“Two days ago, there was only six per cent of our daily cases [who] were fully isolating in quarantine. Today it is 73 per cent [who] have been fully isolated during their period of infectivity,” he said.
“What this means is that our contact tracers and our restrictions are working in tandem as part of the public health team’s tool kit to beat this virus back and to beat this outbreak back, step-by-step.”
For more updates on Victoria, visit our dedicated blog here.
Deputy Premier John Barilaro is asked why Bondi тАУ where Greater Sydney’s outbreak originated from тАУ wasn’t subject to the same swift lockdown the state’s central west now has been.
“If you think about that, the decision we made overnight for the three LGA’s other same day at home orders we put in place for Sydney after the Bondi outbreak,” Mr Barilaro said.
“And the reality here is that I have been a member of the crisis team from the outset, for almost 18 months. There is no crystal ball as the Premier has touched on, there is no playbook or real book.
“We have learnt a lot on this journey and we have learnt more over the last few weeks from the advice that we have from health.
“I can say honestly I am being very cautious, I was quick to say if we need to lockdown the regions we should, because the health infrastructure in regional and rural New South Wales is not what we haven’t Sydney.
“Yes, we could have managed but we don’t want to be inundated. That’s why the decision to go into lockdown, that is why we made the decision overnight.”
Ms Berejiklian is asked whether, from what she’s said today, “there is a chance lockdown will be lifted at the end of next week”.
The Premier asked people not to misinterpret her words.
“No, what I’m saying is we will consider what restrictions can be eased from July 30 based on the health advice we have at that time. That is it,” she said.
“Look, it would be, can I say I am sure people will interpret my words in a thousand different ways but this is the truth. We won’t know what 31 July looks like across the state, across Greater Sydney, until at least the weekend and early next week. That is a fact. That is a fact.”
Ms Berejiklian is questioned over her controversial decision to shut down construction sites until at least July 31, and whether there have been cases linked to them.
“The important thing is health gives us data on the workplace sites, including construction sites, where the disease has spread,” she responded, somewhat side-stepping the question.
“But this is the other critical issue. What we do know is what we need to do to predict future cases cropping up. The health advice we rely on gives us advice not only on dropping the spread but also indicating that if you continue particular actions or activity, that is going to spread it further.”
She apologised for the “angst” the pause has caused people.
“This pause has to be in placeтАжThe two-week pause is necessary. I apologise for the angst it has caused people but it is a decision we have to take,” Ms Berejiklian said.
“You cannot argue against the health advice, you can’t argue against science or facts. It would have been irresponsible for us not to have taken that pause, as difficult as it was. It would have been absolutely irresponsible.”
Ms Berejiklian is asked about comments made by her Victorian counterpart, Daniel Andrews, who “has said that Victoria is running alongside the virus and trying to get ahead of the virus, andтАжSydney has lost control of the virus”.
“Can I say that I will leave other premiers to comment on their own states, I will comment on New South Wales,” the Premier responded.
Health Minister Brad Hazzard has also emphasised the importance of getting vaccinated, particularly to those people still feeling hesitant.
“I would like to take the opportunity, though, just to raise one issue and that is in terms of hesitancy around vaccine, I want to remind people that if you’re over 60, if you get COVID, you have a 1 in 200 chance of dying,” he said.
“If you’re over 50, you have a 1 in 500 chance ever dying if you got the COVID virus. But in terms of the broader issue, it’s justтАж It is far more effective that you would have the vaccines and make sure that you avoid those risks because if you have the vaccine, you have a 1 in 2 million chance of actually dying, so the odds are with you.
“You can take a bet on TAB and you’d be doing far better if you’d had the vaccine.”
Ms Berejiklian has taken a swipe at the lack of vaccine urgency displayed by the Federal Government, saying she’s “gone blue in the face from ages ago on how important it is to get vaccines”.
“We won’t live as freely as we need to or we would like until vaccination rates increase. That is one thing the NSW Government can’t control,” she said.
“We can’t control the doses we get. But I can assure you as soon as we get the doses, they will go into arms.”
The Premier added she doesn’t “know how many times I’ve spoken about a sense of urgency with vaccinations”.
“I’ve gone blue in the face from ages ago on how important it is to get vaccines. That’s the case. Please follow the health advice,” she said.
“If you’re over 60, have the AstraZeneca. If you’re over 40, get advice from your GP or health professionalтАжand of course, we have the opportunity to get those vaccination rates up but really we’re waiting on the extra doses to get the rates up.”
