The NSW government has released the Mid North Coast, North Coast and Riverina districts from lockdowns, but the Hunter, Central Coast, Illawarra and western NSW will remain under stay-at-home orders.
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NSW recorded 1405 new locally acquired cases of COVID-19 and five COVID deaths on Thursday.
Stay-at-home orders will remain in place in the Central Coast, Cessnock, Dungog, Lake Macquarie, Maitland, MidCoast, Muswellbrook, Newcastle, Port Stephens, Singleton and Upper Hunter local government areas beyond Friday.
The Hunter New England Health district recorded 12 new cases on Thursday, including four in Port Stephens LGA, four in Newcastle, three in Lake Macquarie and one in Cessnock.
Four cases in Nelson Bay were infectious in the community and unlinked to a known source of infection.
Two cases in Adamstown Heights were isolating while infectious, one in North Lambton was infectious in the community and linked to a workplace, and one unlinked case in Kotara was infectious in the community.
One case in Catherine Hill Bay was isolating while infectious and linked to a household contact.
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A case in Dora Creek was infectious in the community and linked to a community member.
An unlinked case in Woodrising was infectious in the community.
One case in Heddon Greta was infectious in the community and linked to an Upper Hunter mine.
Deputy Premier John Barilaro said the Hunter and other regions would need to record zero cases for 14 days to have any hope of emerging from lockdown before the state reached its 70 per cent double vaccination target in late October.
"My strong advice to everyone in regional NSW is to get vaccinated as soon as you can," he said.
"Our communities need to continue to get vaccinated so that when NSW reaches 70 and 80 per cent, restrictions can ease significantly."
The full list of LGAs to stay in lockdown is:
- Bathurst
- Bega
- Blayney
- Bogan
- Bourke
- Brewarrina
- Broken Hill
- Cabonne
- Central Coast
- Central Darling
- Cessnock
- Dubbo
- Dungog
- Eurobodalla
- Forbes
- Gilgandra
- Goulburn Mulwarre
- Kiama
- Lake Macquarie
- Lithgow
- Maitland
- MidCoast
- Mid-Western
- Muswellbrook
- Narrabri
- Narromine
- Newcastle
- Orange
- Parkes
- Port Stephens
- Queanbeyan-Palerang
- Shellharbour
- Shoalhaven
- Singleton
- Snowy Monaro
- Upper Hunter
- Walgett
- Wingecarribee
The rest of the state will escape from stay-at-home orders at midnight on Friday under the following restrictions:
Gatherings in the home and public spaces
Up to five visitors will be allowed in a home (not including children 12 and under).
Up to 20 people can gather in outdoor settings.
Venues including hospitality, retail stores and gyms
Hospitality venues can reopen subject to one person per 4sqm inside and one person per 2sqm outside, with standing while drinking permitted outside.
Retail stores can reopen under the one person per 4sqm rule.
Personal services such as hairdressers and nail salons can open with one person per 4sqm, capped at five clients per premises.
Gyms and indoor recreation facilities can open under the one person per 4sqm rule and can offer classes for up to 20 people.
Sporting facilities including swimming pools can reopen.
Schools
Schools will reopen with Level 3 COVIDSafe measures in place.
Stadiums, theatres and major outdoor recreation facilities
Major recreation outdoor facilities including stadiums, racecourses, theme parks and zoos can reopen with one person per 4sqm, capped at 5,000 people.
Up to 500 people can attend ticketed and seated outdoor events.
Indoor entertainment and information facilities including cinemas, theatres, music halls, museums and galleries can reopen with one person per 4sqm or 75 per cent fixed seated capacity.
Weddings, funerals and places of worship
Up to 50 guests can attend weddings, with dancing permitted and eating and drinking only while seated.
Up to 50 guests can attend funerals, with eating and drinking while seated.
Churches and places of worship to open subject to one person per 4sqm rule, with no singing.
Travel
Caravan parks and camping grounds can open.
Car pooling will be permitted.
Masks
Masks will remain mandatory for all indoor public venues, including public transport, front-of-house hospitality, retail and business premises, on planes and at airports.
Only hospitality staff will be required to wear a mask when outdoors.
Children aged under 12 will not need to wear a mask indoors.
NSW hospitals are treating 1175 COVID-19 cases, including 202 people in intensive care, 80 of whom require ventilation.
The COVID-related deaths reported on Thursday included:
- A man in his 80s from north-western Sydney died at Nepean Hospital.
- A woman in her 70s from western Sydney died at Ryde Hospital.
- A woman in her 70s from western Sydney died at Concord Repatriation General Hospital.
- A man in his 80s from south-western Sydney died at Westmead Hospital.
- A woman in her 40s from south-western Sydney, died at Liverpool Hospital.
Premier Gladys Berejiklian said the vaccination rate had slowed in recent days and urged people to come forward for jabs.
"You have been warned," she said in reference to unvaccinated people being denied freedoms when the state started opening up.
Of the locally acquired cases reported to 8pm last night:
- 450 are from South Western Sydney Local Health District (LHD)
- 394 are from Western Sydney LHD
- 211 are from Sydney LHD
- 118 are from South Eastern Sydney LHD
- 74 are from Nepean Blue Mountains LHD
- 34 are from Northern Sydney LHD
- 24 are from Western NSW LHD
- 22 are from Central Coast LHD
- 23 are from Illawarra Shoalhaven LHD
- 12 are from Hunter New England LHD
- four are from Far West LHD
- three are from Southern NSW LHD
- nine are in correctional settings
- 27 are yet to be assigned to an LHD.
NSW Health's ongoing sewage surveillance program has recently detected viral fragments at the Tamworth, Glen Innes, Lightning Ridge, Culburra Beach and Moruya treatment plants.
Our coverage of the health and safety aspects of this outbreak of COVID-19 in Newcastle and the Hunter, and lockdown rules and changes, is free for anyone to access. However, we depend on subscription revenue to support our journalism. If you are able, please subscribe here. If you are already a subscriber, thank you for your support. You can also sign up for our newsletters for regular updates.