An epidemic moving faster than we have ever seen here in Victoria, or I suspect anywhere else in Australia says the Australian authorities.
Sydney has recorded a further 111 locally acquired cases, the second highest daily total of the latest outbreak, just one case lower than Monday’s update of 112 infections. The number of daily Covid-19 cases in surged once again beyond 100 on Saturday as Premier Gladys Berejiklian announced a tightening of restrictions.
Another Covid-19 death was announced, the third of the outbreak. He was a man aged in his 80s living in Sydney’s southwest.
With infections fueled by the highly infectious Delta variant proving stubborn, Ms Berejiklian has moved to tighten lockdown restrictions in Greater Sydney.
“It is not good enough for us to tread water which is what we’re doing now,” she told reporters.
“We have to some extent stabilised it, but we are not managing to get that curve to come down and quash that curve.
“We have certainly prevented thousands and thousands of cases, but we haven’t managed to quash the curve and that is why the NSW government is taking further action from today.”
Anyone who lives in Fairfield, Canterbury-Bankstown and Liverpool local government areas must stay in those areas, including people who are leaving for work. The only exceptions are healthcare and emergency services workers.
It will be imposed from midnight Saturday.
Retail has been restricted to a list of “critical” venues, Ms Berejiklian added.
Construction across Sydney has been paused until July 30.
Car pooling is now also banned.
“I can’t remember a time when our state has been challenged to such an extent,” Ms Berejiklian said.
Victoria set for more restrictions, possible lockdown, after virus spreads at MCG
The state’s two new cases – an adult and a child who sat separately at the MCG during Saturday’s match between Carlton and Geelong – are on top of the 10 new cases officially recorded on Thursday but reported throughout the day on Wednesday.
COVID-19 response commander Jeroen Weimar said the two fresh cases were not known to each other or the other two previously confirmed cases at the MCG.Mr Weimar said they were sitting in “very different parts of the ground” and that the MCG was now the focus of the state’s contact tracers.
“Both these cases put us in a serious situation. We need to establish whether there are any other people who were at the MCG – that is a critical bit of information we need to get to today.
“If you are getting those tier-1, tier-2 text messages and you have not got tested, we need you to comeand do that now.
“Whatever you are doing now, stop doing it. Please come and get tested so we can get that information and get you safe and secure.”
Mr Weimar also noted that one of the new MCG cases was linked to two gyms in Melbourne’s west that were added to the official list of exposure sites on Wednesday morning.
Despite concerns about further transmission at the MCG, Mr Weimar lauded the speed of the state’s health team. “This is probably the fastest response we’ve ever seen to an outbreak moving more quickly than we’ve ever seen here in Victoria, or I suspect anywhere else in Australia.”
