About 30,000 people sent into lockdown as NSW outbreak spreads
Another NSW region will go into lockdown as the highly contagious Delta variant continues to spread across the state.
Health Minister Brad Hazzard said the Armidale local government area would go into lockdown on Saturday from 5pm after confirming two new cases were recorded in the region overnight.
"It will proceed for one week," Mr Hazzard said.
The lockdown will end on Sunday, August 15 at 12.01am.
There were almost 30,000 people in this LGA, according to the 2016 Census.
"I'm sorry to the people of Armidale local council area. I would say to you this is out of care and concern for your area," Mr Hazzard said.
"If I were living in the area I would not be going out of the house today," he continued.
"I would be staying at home... I would be making sure that I protect myself and my family."
NSW records 319 new cases of Covid-19
NSW recorded 319 cases of Covid-19 on Saturday, the highest number of daily infections recorded since the pandemic began, on Saturday.
Of these cases, 125 were linked to a known case or cluster, with 108 being household contacts and 17 close contacts. The remaining 194 of these cases are under investigation
There have been 4929 locally acquired cases reported since June 16, 2021, when the first case in this recent outbreak was reported.
There are currently 345 Covid-19 cases in hospital, with 56 people in intensive care and 23 requiring ventilation.
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