CRISIS cabinet members are anticipating an extension of lockdown orders in regional NSW as the number of COVID-19 cases continues to rise.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Deputy premier John Barilaro told regional media on Wednesday that, following crisis cabinet discussions that afternoon, the plan for the regional NSW would be announced on Thursday.
He flagged a possible extension of the lockdown in a large number of communities due to growing case numbers.
READ ALSO:
"[With] what's happening in western NSW, the far west, the surveillance down the south coast, continued stubborn cases - even though low - in the Hunter and the central coast and then of course bigger numbers in the Illawarra, I have no doubt that there will be a level of restrictions for many, many LGAs in regional/rural NSW," Mr Barilaro said.
"What we will now have to consider is how many LGAs aren't impacted and then make a decision. Will we go by a LGA by LGA? That's the meeting I am going into, we will take health advice, we'll work through that this afternoon and we will announce something [Thursday]."
Dubbo MP Dugald Saunders has also indicated the lockdown would likely be extended for the local government area.
"We keep talking about the fact that it's not spreading on the wind ... it's people interacting that's spreading the virus. And you can say at this point it's obviously not working, but it is to a degree because if we did nothing, there would be thousands of cases. We know that by staying home we are protecting ourselves and our families," Mr Saunders said.
"The idea that its not having any impact is probably wrong. Its definitely having an impact, we need it to have more of an impact. We need vaccination rates to keep going up, so that's why we keep encouraging to get your vaccination whatever way you can, but in the meantime the best thing to do is follow the stay at home orders in the best possible way you can."
Member for Bathurst Paul Toole, one of the seven ministers involved in crisis cabinet discussions, said that people only had to look at case numbers to see that an extension of the lockdown orders was necessary.
"I think it's very clear to see that out here in the Central West and the far west, we've had cases that have continued to pop up over the last few days. That clearly shows that the lockdown here in this part of the state is going to continue for a bit longer," he said.
"You really need to have no additional cases popping up in the community, sewage detection would need to be low, and at the moment we haven't got to that point on both of those situations.
"If you have a look at wider regional NSW and where you actually see the cases and the spread of the virus, it is clear that a large proportion of regional NSW is being impacted at the moment. It also shows that where there is not a case that the stay at home orders are working by protecting and keeping those communities safe from the COVID virus."
With lockdowns expected to continue for a while longer, Mr Toole said the best thing people can do is get vaccinated.
Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can continue to access our trusted content:
- Bookmark
- Make sure you are signed up for our breaking and regular headlines newsletters
- Follow us on Twitter
- Follow us on Instagram
- Follow us on Google News