'Still concerned': NSW Premier's warning as 18 new Covid cases announced
NSW has recorded 18 new locally acquired Covid-19 cases on Tuesday as health authorities near a decision on whether Greater Sydney's two-week lockdown will end on time.
Seven of the latest cases were either partially or fully in the community during their infectious period.
Chief Health Officer Kerry Chant says 16 of the cases are linked to a known case or cluster and of those, nine are household contacts of previously confirmed cases.
Premier Gladys Berejiklian told reporters while the lockdown was having its desired effect, it was "still concerning" to see cases visiting public places with the virus.
"We don't want to see that," she told reporters.
"We are noticing younger people coming through and testing positive.
"Can I give a call out to young people.. can I encourage you to tell us what you've been up to to make sure we clamp down on those close contacts."
Monday saw the state record its joint-highest daily total of the current outbreak with 35 local cases.
There has been one further confirmed case of COVID-19 in a worker at SummitCare Baulkham Hills aged care facility. The number of cases associated to the facility now stands at eight, five of which are residents and one of those was unvaccinated.
A further case has been recorded to 8pm last night linked to a gathering at the Meriton Suites Waterloo on Saturday 26 June.
A total of seven people who attended the gathering have now tested positive for COVID-19 and five household contacts of these people have also tested positive.
Lockdown decision expected in 24 hours
Ms Berejiklian refused to give any indication as to whether the lockdown would end on Friday, however a decision would be made by Wednesday, the premier said.
Stay-at-home orders for more than five million people in Greater Sydney, Wollongong, Shellharbour, the Central Coast and the Blue Mountains regions are due to end at midnight on Friday.
When questioned on whether essential shopping needed to be re-evaluated, Dr Chant said the risk posed by retail settings still posed a "much lower risk" than those settings banned under current restrictions.
She hinted moving forward restrictions would remain for home gatherings, work and hospitality due to the infectiousness of the Delta variant.
But Ms Berejiklian said residents should have confidence the state government would not "provide unnecessary burdens" moving forward as it bases its decision on the health advice.
"We are looking at a scenario where we don't burden our citizens more than we have to but we also have to accept the new world we're living in," she said.
Latest exposure sites for Sydney residents
Anyone – including guests, staff and contractors – who was on any level of the Meriton Suites, for any amount of time between 7pm on June 26 and 8am Monday must immediately get tested and isolate until further notice.
NSW Health is also urging people in Bossley Park and the broader Fairfield to be particularly vigilant for symptoms due to the identification of unlinked cases in the area.
The exposure listing at Club Marconi in Bossley Park has been revised, with anyone who visited on June 25 between 2pm and 8.30pm and June 26 between 10am to 6pm must isolate for 14 days and seek testing immediately.
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