People in several Sydney suburbs have been banned from leaving their local area for work and the state's Covid-19 lockdown was tightened after 111 new cases were announced today.
Police officers walk past The Sydney Opera House. Photo: AFP
It's the second highest number of daily new infections since the outbreak began on June 16, prompting Premier Gladys Berejiklian to announce sweeping changes to the stay-at-home orders affecting Greater Sydney and its surrounds.
From 11.59pm today, people who live in the local government areas (LGA) of Fairfield, Canterbury-Bankstown and Liverpool will not be allowed to leave those areas for work.
There are several other major changes being made to the lockdowns affecting Greater Sydney, the Blue Mountains, Central Coast, Wollongong and Shellharbour.
From 11.59pm, many retail businesses will be forced to close - although, they'll still be able to operate "click and collect", takeaway and delivery services.
From 12:01am Monday, 19 July:
There has also been another Covid-19 death, bringing the state's death toll since the start of the pandemic to 59.
The man who died was in his 80s.
Berejiklian said 29 of those cases were infectious while in the community.
"That is the number which we need to get close to zero to be able to get out of the lockdown and as we see," she said.
"Unfortunately, this number is stubborn and it won't go down."
The premier said people in Fairfield, Liverpool and Canterbury-Bankstown must stay home.
The only people exempt from the new stay-at-home orders in those areas are emergency services and health workers.
People in the aged-care and disability sectors are included as health workers.
Where workers do need to leave their LGA for work, they are required to be tested every three days, even if they don't have symptoms.
All carpooling is to be stopped in these LGA's unless among members of the same household.
Meanwhile, several essential retail businesses are exempt from the new rules affecting Greater Sydney and its surrounds.
The following businesses can remain open:
Berejiklian said she has also made the "difficult" choice to pause on non-urgent construction until the end of the month.
All non-urgent repairs - "anything which can wait until after July 30" the Premier said - will be paused and tradies and other workers will not be permitted into homes.
Urgent repairs such as for water or electricity will still be allowed.
"We know this is a big decision, we know the impact this will have on businesses small and large," shesaid.
They are due to be lifted at 11.59pm on 30 July.