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Two people die from Covid as NSW outbreak grows

Two more people have died from Covid-19 in NSW, taking the toll from the state's latest outbreak to 10.

NSW Health confirmed a woman in her 80s had died at her home in Pendle Hill, in Sydney's west, on Monday afternoon, while a man in his 80s died while being treated at Campbelltown Hospital.

It brings the state's death toll since the start of the pandemic to 66 and comes a day after a Sydney-based Brazilian student in her 30s became the youngest woman to die of Covid-19 in Australia.

NSW recorded 145 new local Covid-19 cases in the 24 hours to 8pm on Sunday, of which 51 were in the community for the entirety of their infectious period and 25 were in the community for part of their infectious period.

NSW Police on patrol in the central business district in Sydney.
The woman and man died on Monday afternoon, taking the toll from the state's latest outbreak to 10. Source: AAP

NSW to review lockdown

The NSW crisis cabinet met on Monday to devise a strategy to deal with the evolving crisis and to begin workshopping the restrictions to remain in place in Sydney over the coming months.

Greater Sydney's lockdown is due to end on Friday, though Premier Gladys Berejiklian flagged some restrictions may be tightened and others eased where transmission risk is minimal.

This may involve tightened or more targeted measures in virus-hit southwest and west Sydney, as well as changes to testing requirements.

However, some restrictions would remain until the majority of the NSW population was vaccinated, regardless of daily infection numbers.

The future of homeschooling is yet to be determined but construction activity, currently paused, will resume in some form from Saturday.

The Sydney Harbour Bridge roadway on a quiet Sunday evening in Sydney, Australia.
The Sydney Harbour Bridge roadway during lockdown on Sunday. Source: Getty Images

"We might need to go harder in some areas and release some settings in others," Ms Berejiklian told reporters.

"Our mission is to allow our citizens to live as safely and as freely as possible."

Chief Health Officer Kerry Chant said Greater Sydney's success rested on three factors - compliance with a tight lockdown, increased vaccination rates and the support and patience of the community.

She reiterated stronger lockdown measures would have marginal impact given the prevalence of transmission among critical workers who cannot stay home.

"The people of southwestern Sydney and western Sydney are the people that keep our city running. They do a lot of the work in distribution centres, food, logistics, transport," Dr Chant said.

"We should all reflect on that."

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