There’s a bit of confusion around exactly who is and isn’t affected by the Sydney lockdown. Unlike the last major lockdowns, this one specifically applies to both your home and your workplace. It means that a lot of City of Sydney workers who don’t otherwise live in one of the four local government areas are locking down with the rest of us. (And by ‘us’, I mean those of us in Waverley, Randwick, Woollahra and City of Sydney.) But what about their roommates? Are they still locked down?
Well, we sought answers from NSW Health and the answer is a resounding ‘no’. PHEW.
“Yes they can leave the house,” a spokesperson told PEDESTRIAN.TV.
“This does not apply to those who are household contacts of those who are restricted from leaving the house.”
So if you live in Marrickville, and your housemate works in the CBD, your housemate is locked down but you are not.
However, if your housemate has been told by NSW Health to stay home (if they’re a close contact of a known case, for example), then you also have to stay home.
Make sense? Look, it’s a bit confusing.
The lockdown comes into place at 11.59pm tonight, and will last one week. Anyone who lives or works in the City of Sydney, Waverley, Woollahra or Randwick local government areas is only allowed to leave the house for four reasons:
- Work or study that can’t be conducted at home
- Care or care giving (which includes receiving a COVID vaccine)
- Shopping for essential goods
- Outdoor exercise in small groups of no more than 10
(For a full list of suburbs, check here.)
Luckily, the NSW Government has clarified that you can still see your intimate partner, even if you don’t live with them. Bone town, population: two.
It comes after 11 new cases were recorded up until 8pm yesterday and a further 17 were recorded overnight. I will personally deck the first person who says, “You’ve got this, Sydney”, but the sentiment remains the same. Crack open a cold one or however you practise self care tonight, because you’ve got earned this.
