NSW will enter a snap, statewide lockdown after it recorded more than 460 cases on Saturday as the coronavirus continues to spread across the regions.
Lockdown restrictions will be extended to all of NSW in a bid to contain the vicious spread of the highly infectious Delta variant.
It follows another record day of Covid-19 infections, with daily infections surging to 466 – the worst day since the pandemic began.
Deputy Premier John Barilaro announced the new measures on social media, saying they were designed to “minimise movement and protect our communities from the evolving COVID situation in Sydney”.
Australia will increase fines to people breaching lockdown rules in the state of New South Wales as it battles a record jump in local COVID-19 infections and Sydney, the state capital, heads into its eighth week of lockdown, officials said on Saturday.
“This afternoon the Premier and Deputy Premier made the difficult decision to lockdown all the regions in NSW,” Ms Pavey said.
The virulent delta variant has spread through parts of regional NSW in August, with Dubbo and its surroundings recording 26 new cases.
Regional NSW residents who had weddings or funerals planned for Sunday will be able to have the ceremonies despite the state going into lockdown from 5pm today.
Small funerals will be allowed during lockdown but with a maximum of 10 people plus the person conducting the funeral).
“There will be a one-day ‘grace period’ for planned weddings and funerals in the regional areas that have not already been subject to a lockdown,” the release read.
“Those events may go ahead until 12.01am on Monday 16 August 2021, but only with guests from areas that have not already been subject to a lockdown.
Eight mysterious infections in Victoria
Victorian health authorities say there are very concerned as the state recorded 21 new locally acquired cases and the source of eight infections detected in the latest outbreak remains a mystery.
Health Minister Martin Foley said 11 of the new cases were in quarantine for the entirety of their infectious period and that all the new infections are linked to the current outbreak.
The eight infections that are yet to be linked back to a source include cases in the City of Melbourne, Glenroy, Melton South, Middle Park, Newport, West Brunswick, Wyndham Vale and West Footscray.
