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.
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Lockdowns are in place across Greater Sydney, the Blue Mountains, the Central Coast and Wollongong.
Sydney COVID: Senior ministers consider letting Delta circulate in community
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Sydney COVID: Senior ministers consider letting Delta circulate in community
watoday.com.au - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from watoday.com.au Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
We are anticipating there could be an increase in numbers over the next few days. Then hopefully early next week we should see the impact of the lockdown really turning and having a positive impact.
More than 73,000 people were tested for the virus in the last 24 hours, a result Ms Berejiklian said was very pleasing .
A total of 27 of today s cases are linked to previously confirmed cases, with 17 identified as household contacts. We are treating and managing 172 cases, most of those are being treated in non-acute out-of-hospital care, including returned travellers in special accommodation, but we have three patients in intensive care, Chief Health Officer Dr Kerry Chant said.