The state's rapidly worsening coronavirus outbreak has forced the state government to put all NSW into lockdown from 5pm tonight.
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In a statement, NSW Health declared that everyone in the state must stay at home for a full week, with a handful of exceptions.
"They also cannot have visitors in their home from outside their household, including family and friends," the NSW Health statement said.
"People still can have one visitor at one time to fulfil carers' responsibilities or provide care or assistance, or for compassionate reasons, including where two people are in a relationship but do not live together."
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The crackdown follows "updated advice from NSW Chief Health Officer Dr Kerry Chant" according to the statement.
The lockdown is scheduled to come to an end at midnight on Sunday, August 22.
All hospitality venues must be closed to the public, including pubs, restaurants and cafes, except for takeaway.
All retail businesses are also required to close aside from supermarkets, grocers, chemists and pharmacies, and takeaway food premises
Shops that sell a range of proscribed goods including office supplies, pet supplies, newspapers, magazines and stationery, alcohol, maternity and baby supplies, medical or pharmaceutical supplies, hardware and building supplies, landscaping material supplies, rural supplies, timber yards, garden centres and plant nurseries, vehicle hire premises, not including the premises at which vehicles are sold, and mobile phone repair shops can also remain open.
Service stations, banks, post offices, laundromats and drycleaners can remain open.
Anyone who leaves their home must carry a mask with them at all times. They must be worn when working outdoors, by all school staff, by all people in outdoor markets, outdoor shopping strips, and in an outdoor queues waiting for products such as coffee and food.
Schooling will be done from home.
Every employer across NSW must require their employees to work from home unless it is not reasonably practicable.
Tamworth MP Kevin Anderson was one of a number of MPs to announce on Saturday afternoon that the government had decided to expand stay-at-home orders to cover the entire state.
Premier Gladys Berejiklian flagged a likely expansion of the lockdown of western NSW at her 11am COVID-19 press conference, in an attempt to control the spread in Walgett and Dubbo.
She labelled Saturday the "most concerning day" after 466 COVID-19 cases and four deaths were recorded in the daily coronavirus figures, in the 24 hours to 8pm on Friday night.
It's the first time the entire state has been locked down since the first coronavirus outbreak in 2020.
The state's MPs learned the decision to order an entire state shutdown in an online conference meeting on Saturday.
ACM understands NSW Health had considered restricting the lockdown to western NSW local government areas before deciding to extend it across the state.
The only reasons for a NSW resident to leave home over the next week will include:
- Shopping for food or other essential goods and services.
- Medical care or compassionate needs (people can leave home to have a COVID-19 vaccination unless they have been identified as a close contact).
- Exercise outdoors in groups of two or fewer (unless they are members of the same household).
- Work, where people cannot work from home.
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, according to NSW Health.
Those events may go ahead until 12.01am on 16/08, but only with guests from areas that have not already been subject to a lockdown.
NSW Health urges people to continue to present for testing with even the mildest of cold-like symptoms.
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