Masks are now mandatory outdoors across all of NSW with Premier Gladys Berejiklian announcing that the Greater Sydney lockdown has now been extended until the end of September.
The news comes after the state recorded 644 local COVID-19 cases and four deaths overnight.
“From Monday [August 23] at midnight, unless you’re exercising, masks should be worn outdoors everywhere across NSW,” Berejiklian said at the daily coronavirus presser on Friday morning.
“Our concern is that when someone is walking past a group of people or bumping into a group of people, that can cause fleeting contact and transmission.
“Even when you are exercising, you need to have the mask with you, in case you were doing some strenuous exercise, you come into contact with anybody else, the mask has to be put on. It also makes it easier for police to make sure everybody is sticking to the rule.”
This will apply across the whole of NSW, not just in Greater Sydney.
“Whether you live in Sydney, whether you live in the bush, everybody has to respect that rule,” Berejiklian said.
In the 12 Western Sydney LGAs of concern, even stricter rules will be in place from Monday, August 23.
Not only will there be a curfew between 9pm and 5am, but outdoor exercise will also be limited to one hour per day.
The one bit of good news is that the Central Coast and Shellharbour will no longer be considered part of Greater Sydney, and therefore won’t necessarily be subject to the lockdown extension.
More to come.
All adult Aussies (yep, even if those of us under 40) are currently able to get the safe and effective AstraZeneca vaccine through a GP. Click here to see which clinics are offering it, and talk to a doctor to see if it’s right for you.
Alternatively, you can triple-check to see if you’re eligible for the Pfizer vaccine here.
The best vaccine is the first one you can get, and that’ll be our ticket out of this mess.
