Alexandra Smith, Lucy Carroll, Mary Ward and Broede Carmody12:22, Jul 09 2021 The New South Wales (NSW) government is facing its most difficult decision of the pandemic, with senior ministers cautiously canvassing abandoning a zero local-transmission strategy and accepting the Delta strain of Covid-19 will circulate in the community. Three senior ministers, who would not speak publicly due to cabinet confidentiality, have acknowledged the Australian state has reached a “fork in the road” where it must choose between a lockdown to eliminate Covid or living with the virus. Lisa Maree Williams/Getty Images Lockdowns are in place across Greater Sydney, the Blue Mountains, the Central Coast and Wollongong.