Anxious Sydneysiders and Melburnians in lockdown could suffer through another three months of harsh restrictions before they finally 'live freely', officials have warned, with millions in the Harbour City enduring stricter rules starting Monday.
Under-siege NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian has warned restrictions and lockdowns will likely linger on until November, with officials needing Covid-19 infections to go down and 80 per cent of the state's adult population to be vaccinated.
Likewise, health chiefs have told Melburnians holed up in their sixth lockdown they also face another extended period under strict stay-at-home orders if mystery cases from the current outbreak continue to rise.
It's been seven weeks since Sydney and surrounding regions were plunged into what was described at the time as a snap lockdown.
Since then, daily case numbers have increased into triple digits and crept into regional areas, prompting harsher restrictions in Covid-ravaged hotspots and a statewide lockdown for at least one week.
Residents in Sydney and Melbourne could remain in lockdown for weeks as daily infections continue to rise. Pictured are Melburnians enjoying the winter sunshine over the weekend
Sydneysiders may not be able to 'live freely' until November. Pictured are locals exercising in Bondi on Sunday
The state recorded its second consecutive day of 400-plus new infections on Sunday, hours before tough new restrictions proposed by NSW Police came into effect.
There were also four more deaths.
Ms Berejiklian insisted she won't succumb to pressure by lifting lockdown and easing restrictions too early.
She also admitted she has given up on her hope for the state to return to zero cases as another 30 venues were added to the state's exposure site list on Sunday night.
'This is a time when all of us have to take stock and take the situation for what it is,' Ms Berejiklian told reporters on Sunday.
Sydneysiders who don't comply with the new restrictions will face heavy fines as mounted NSW Police kept a vigilant on crowds at Bondi on Sunday
'It's not possible to eliminate it completely.
'We have to learn to live with it. The best chance we have to live with it freely and safely is to get the case numbers down as low as possible.
'We are looking for what opportunities we can provide our citizens in September and October.
'Living freely will not be upon us until we have lower case numbers and until we have 70-80 per cent double doses.'
Based on current vaccination projections, the state will not reach those levels until November.
ALL THE CHANGES TO GREATER SYDNEY'S LOCKDOWN STARTING 00.01 MONDAY
What rules are changing?
* Travel radius for residents of Greater Sydney reduced from 10km to 5km
* Those eligible for the singles bubble must register their companion online
* Residents are also unable to visit their second homes except for under special circumstances - and you will need a permit
* Those living in Greater Sydney must be given a permit to leave the region
* $320 payment plan for those having to isolate while awaiting test results and are unable to work will also be set up
What can I be fined for?
* $5,000 fines for breaching quarantine, lying on a permit or to contact tracers
* $3,000 fines for breaching two-person exercise limit, breaching work rules and wrongfully entering regional NSW
* $3,000 fines will also be dished out to those who enter someone else's home if it's not for essential care or as part of a singles bubble
Where can I exercise?
Essential shopping and exercise must be done in a resident's LGA or, if you must travel outside your LGA to do so, it must be within 5km of your home
What about policing?
* 500 extra ADF personnel will patrol alongside NSW Police, with checkpoints increased on key roads
* New checkpoints will be set up to check drivers at random in certain key areas
* Riot squads and highway patrol officers will be present in LGAs of concern
* These LGAs are Bayside, Blacktown, Burwood, Campbelltown, Canterbury-Bankstown, Cumberland, Fairfield, Georges River, Liverpool, Parramatta, Strathfield, and parts of Penrith
Source: NSW Government
Pictured: A graph showing the rise in positive Covid-19 cases in Sydney since late June, 2021
From Monday, NSW Police will ramp up its presence in the 12 hotspot LGAs across Sydney with officers able to impose larger fines of $5,000 for breaching public health orders.
Residents can expect to see more police on the streets of Bayside, Blacktown, Burwood, Campbelltown, Canterbury-Bankstown, Cumberland, Fairfield, Georges River, Liverpool, Parramatta, Strathfield, and areas of Penrith councils.
Anyone living in the listed LGAs can only have a single buddy who also lives within their same LGA.
All Sydneysiders are now restricted to a 5km radius for shopping and exercise, which was previously 10km outside the hotspot LGAs.
An additional 500 ADF personnel will be deployed on top of the 300 already in NSW.
Sydneysiders will need a permit to travel to regional NSW while single people will need to register their 'single buddies' online to make it easier for police conducting compliance checks.
NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian (pictured on Sunday) admitted she had lost hope the state will return to zero cases after being ravaged by the highly-infectious Indian Delta strain
Sydneysiders can only shop and exercise within a 5km radius of their homes under the tough new restrictions which came into effect Monday. Pictured is a woman exercising in Bondi on Sunday
Rule-breakers will also now be handed a $3,000 fine for breaching the two-person exercise limit, and there will be $3,000 fines for Sydneysiders found wrongfully found entering regional NSW.
The prolonged lockdown has begun to take a toll of NSW chief health officer Professor Kerry Chant, who issued a desperate plea for everyone to comply with the rules.
'There is no silver bullet and vaccination is not a silver bullet. It is a tool,' she said.
'Vaccination alone will not get us out of this situation. We need to follow the public health orders.'
She continued: 'While we have put in additional controls, everybody needs to have a great sense of responsibility to follow the rules.
'I understand how hard it is that we have been entered this lockdown for such a prolonged period.'
Melbourne's usually bustling CBD was deserted on the weekend as the state recorded 25 new cases on Sunday, including five mystery infections not linked to existing clusters
Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews hasn't ruled out prolonging Melbourne's lockdown
Victorian health officials are also on high alert after five of the 25 new cases recorded on Sunday were mystery infections not linked to existing clusters.
'Our concern today is that we've done a really good job with the communities around the schools, around the shopping centres out west, around the footy club, a number of other community groups. Those numbers are pretty stable, and they're all contained,' Covid-19 commander Jeroen Weimar said.
'That's why this is a real tipping point.
'There are a number of mystery cases and those numbers continue to grow and that is really challenging. These numbers are too high.'
Mr Weimar also expressed concern that the spread of the virus was also being accelerated by parents hosting sleepovers for their children - with almost half of all Covid-19 cases aged under 19.
'We have essentially 83 people under the age of 19 testing positive to Covid, that is almost half of the outbreak. It's not happening by accident, it is happening because people are getting together.'
FIND THE LATEST EXPOSURE SITES NEAR YOU
A year after Melbourne spent 115 days under draconian restrictions, Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews has hinted the city could remain in lockdown for many more months to avoid a similar crisis to that seen in Sydney.
'The choice really is between where we are now and hundreds and then thousands of cases,' he said.
'I'm determined to make sure that it doesn't happen here. I know no one's enjoying this.
'But what's worse than this is, well, being locked up till the end of October, or indeed the end of November because that's how long it may well take to get 80 per cent of people through the vaccination program.'
Sydneysiders in 12 LGA Covid-19 hotspots can expect more police on the streets, including Merrylands in the Cumberland LGA
Premier Daniel Andrews has hinted Melbourne could remain in lockdown until November to avoid the current crisis in Sydney
He said it was too soon to decide whether restrictions would be lifted in Melbourne as planned on Thursday, added that he's concerned about the current figures.
'I have always tried to be as frank as possible, whether from this podium or in the work that I do, I am not here to do anything other than to be frank,' Mr Andrews said.
'I do think these numbers are too high. I am not going to make an announcement today. Today is Sunday. I do not know what our position will be on Thursday.'
Mr Andrews believes NSW's path out of lockdown will be through vaccination and that there was 'no way they're going to get to zero cases'.
'Nothing else they're doing is working … This is where they're at now, they're going to have to vaccinate their way out of this,' Mr Andrews said.
The latest lockdown have had a devastating effect on struggling businesses. Pictured is Merrylands in Sydney's west
CommSec chief economist Craig James remains hopeful Australia can avoid another recession, despite the nation's two biggest cities being in lockdown.
He estimated a 2.7 per cent slide in economic growth in the September quarter, followed by growth of 1.9 per cent in the December quarter.
'It is quite remarkable that, when you have a look at the retail spending figures for the past 12 months, which was characterised by lockdowns and degrees of enforcement and mobility and the like, we had a record year in terms of retail spending,' Mr James told The Australian.
'It means we will come out the other side … and … we will rebound from this quite quickly.'
Latest Covid exposure sites in NSW
Anyone who attended the following venues at the times listed is a close contact and must get tested and isolate for 14 days since they were there, regardless of the result.
Maitland Sudania Caf̩ and Restaurant 459 High St. Saturday 31 July 2021 8am Р2pm. Monday 2 August 2021 8am Р2pm
Cooks Hill Darby Raj 3/115 Darby Street Wednesday 4 August 2021 7:13pm - 7:15pm
Dubbo Scout Hall 5 Welchman Street Sunday 8 August 2021 4:30pm - 5:30pm
Dubbo Russo's Coffee Bar Urban Village, 33-43 Whylandra Street Wednesday 11 August 2021 7:50am - 8am
Mudgee Mudgee Bakery & Cafe 28 Market St Monday 9 August 2021 9:10am - 9:45am
Mudgee Muffin Break 72/78 Market St Wednesday 11 August 2021 9:15am - 9:20am
Anyone who attended the following venues at the times listed is a casual contact and must get tested and isolate until a negative result is received.
Branxton Coles Huntlee 22 Empire Street. Friday 6 August 2021 6:25pm to 6:35pm.
Broadmeadow PETQuarters 4/7A Griffiths Road. Wednesday 4 August 2021 11:08am to 11:25am
Chain Valley Bay Chain Valley Bay Liquor 35 Lloyd Avenue. Thursday 12 August 2021 3pm to 3:15pm.
Charlestown Gadget Mall Charlestown Charlestown Square, 30 Pearson Street. Wednesday 4 August 2021 1:04pm to 3:45pm
Charmhaven Bunnings Lake Haven Corner of Chelmsford and Pacific Highway. Thursday 12 August 2021 8:50am to 9:15am.
Dubbo Aldi Dubbo 176 Talbragar Street. Thursday 12 August 2021 2pm to 3pm. Saturday 7 August 2021 11:30am to 12:30pm
Dubbo Ashcrofts IGA Dubbo 95 Tamworth Street. Thursday 12 August 2021 2pm to 2:30pm. Wednesday 11 August 2021 1pm to 1:20pm.
Dubbo Bob Jane T-Marts Dubbo 223 Macquarie Street. Wednesday 11 August 2021 8am to 8:30am.
Dubbo Dubbo Farmer's Market Macquarie Street and Newell Highway. Saturday 7 August 2021 8:30am to 10am
Dubbo Dubbo Spine Centre 1/63-65 Boundary Road. Thursday 12 August 2021 1:40pm to 2:05pm
Dubbo Orana Mall Shopping Centre - Food Court 56 Windsor Parade Saturday 7 August 2021 10:45am to 11:10am
Dubbo Priceline Pharmacy Dubbo 86 Macquarie Street Tuesday 10 August 2021 1:40pm to 2:20pm
Dubbo South Dubbo Newsagency 93 Tamworth Street Thursday 12 August 2021 2:15pm to 2:25pm
Dubbo Terry White Chemmart Delroy Park Shop 15 Delroy Park Shopping Centre, Corner Baird Drive and Torvean Avenue. Wednesday 11 August 2021 3:45pm to 3:55pm
Dubbo Woolworths Delroy Park Delroy Park Shopping Centre, Corner Baird Drive and Torvean Avenue. Wednesday 11 August 2021 5pm to 7pm. Wednesday 11 August 2021 3:30pm to 4:30pm. Wednesday 11 August 2021 11:30am to 11:45am. Tuesday 10 August 2021 5pm to 6pm
Dubbo Woolworths Dubbo Orana Mall Shopping Centre, 56 Windsor Parade. Wednesday 11 August 2021 9:15am to 10:15am. Tuesday 10 August 2021 2:30pm to 3pm. Monday 9 August 2021 3pm to 3:15pm. Saturday 7 August 2021 10:20am to 10:45am
Dubbo Woolworths Riverdale Riverdale Shopping Centre, 49/65 Macquarie Street. Wednesday 11 August 2021 6:30am to 7:30am. Monday 9 August 2021 4:05pm to 4:35pm
Greta Caltex Greta 2021 New England Highway. Saturday 7 August 2021 10:45am to 10:55am
Lake Munmorah Lake Munmorah Shopping Centre Kemira Road. Friday 13 August 2021 10am to 10:30am
Lake Munmorah Lucky 7 - Munmorah Mini Mart 93 Anita Avenue Thursday 12 August 2021 3:10pm to 3:25pm
Lake Munmorah Woolworths Lake Munmorah Lake Munmorah Shopping Centre, 1 Tall Timbers Road. Friday 13 August 2021 8:40am to 9:15am Thursday 12 August 2021 2:50pm to 3:30pm Saturday 7 August 2021 12pm to 12:40pm
Maitland The Reject Shop Maitland 424 High Street. Monday 2 August 2021 9:03am to 9:06am
Mudgee Bunnings Mudgee Corner of Castlereagh Highway and Burrundulla Road. Wednesday 11 August 2021 12:25pm to 12:30pm
Mudgee Supacheap Auto Mudgee 13 Sydney Road Wednesday 11 August 2021 12:15pm to 12:20pm
