Residents of the Dubbo local government area will remain in lockdown until at least Friday, September 10.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
But Deputy Premier John Barilaro is expecting it to last even longer.
The current lockdown was scheduled to end at 12.01am Sunday, however it has been extended due to the rising number of COVID-19 cases.
On Thursday afternoon, Mr Barilaro said he expected the lockdown to go for even longer.
"For me, Dubbo and the Central West there, western NSW, I know we just talked about a two-week lockdown, but there's no way in the world they will be coming out in two weeks or four weeks," he said.
"I think Dubbo and that area is probably aligned with Sydney in a sense in relation to when we get to 70 per cent double dose and 80 per cent double dose and that's the truth of it because these numbers aren't budging and that's a tough situation to be in.
"My job is to make sure that doesn't escalate worse in that area, but also further escalate into other areas. It's a tough period for that community."
In the 24 hours to 8pm on Wednesday night there were 1029 new COVID cases from community transmission and three people died.
It includes 35 new cases from the Western NSW Local Health District, comprised of 25 cases in Dubbo, three in Orange, two in Bathurst, two in Bourke, one in Forbes, one in Mudgee and one in Parkes.
NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian said while there were communities that still had no cases of COVID-19, the lockdown would apply to all of regional NSW "as a precaution".
ALSO MAKING NEWS:
However, it's not all bad news.
Ms Berejiklian also announced the new freedoms that had been foreshadowed earlier in the week after the state hit six million jabs.
From Monday, September 13 Dubbo residents will be allowed to have outdoor gatherings of up to five people, including children within the local government area. All of the adults present must be fully vaccinated.
The Premier said further freedoms would follow for those who have had the jab when the state hit new vaccination targets of 70 and 80 per cent.
Here are the reasons you can leave your home:
- to buy food or other goods and services
- to go to work, if you cannot reasonably work from home and your business is allowed to be open
- for education, if it is not possible to do it at home
- exercise and recreation if it is not possible to do so
- for medical or caring reasons, including getting a COVID-19 vaccination
- to access childcare
- to attend a funeral or memorial service
The full list of reasons can be found on the NSW government website.
Our COVID-19 news articles relating to public health and safety are free for anyone to access. However, we depend on subscription revenue to support our journalism. If you are able, please subscribe here. If you are already a subscriber, thank you for your support.
Orlander Ruming
Deputy editor at the Daily Liberal, covering council, politics, human interest stories, community news and everything in between.
Deputy editor at the Daily Liberal, covering council, politics, human interest stories, community news and everything in between.
