Police will be able to shutdown workplaces under new rule
A number of Sydney Local Government Areas are facing even tougher restrictions as the latest COVID-19 outbreak increased by 239 new cases overnight.
Of those announced this morning, 70 were infectious in the community and NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian warned that off the back of those numbers, worse is yet to come. The state has recorded two new deaths, in a women in her 90s and a man in his 80s. Both were unvaccinated and household contacts of a positive case.
From midnight tomorrow, residents in the eight LGAs of concern in western and south-western Sydney will have to wear masks at all times when leaving the house. They will also be restricted to a 5km radius for essential shopping.
Berejiklian said: "If you're in a local government area of concern — and at the moment there are eight of them — you need to make sure you wear a mask now at all times.
"If you step foot outside your household, you need to wear a mask at all times. It doesn't matter where it is.
"We're seeing too much evidence of people who are not wearing masks when they need to, or if they are outdoors, they're coming into contact with other people and not having a mask."
Those LGAs include:
- Fairfield
- Canterbury-Bankstown
- Liverpool
- Cumberland
- Blacktown
- Parramatta
- George's River
- Campbelltown
Berejiklian also announced tougher police powers which will enable officers to shut down public areas or premises where businesses or individuals are flouting the rules. It comes as construction is set to resume across the state from this weekend.
The stronger measures come after issues with compliance and Berejiklian said there are still businesses doing the wrong thing. The majority of spread is originating from essential workplaces and household contacts.
Police will be out in force across Sydney over the weekend, and the fine for breaking the health rules has been increased from $200 to $500.
NSW Police Commissioner Mick Fuller said: "We all want to come out of lockdown. These new powers, the additional police into these areas, is about getting us out of lockdown sooner.
"So you can expect to see more police on the ground. You can expect to see more enforcement. We have been in this now for a number of weeks."
