Professor Kelly, declared seven Local Government areas in Sydney a COVID-19 hotspot for the purposes of Commonwealth support from 23 June 2021 for an initial 7 days with and extension announced on 25 June to end on 2 July 2021. This hotspot was widened to all LGAs in Greater Sydney, including the Blue Mountains, Central Coast and Wollongong, and extended from 6:00pm 26 June to 11:59pm 9 July 2021.
As community transmission has continued with further cases emerging, and in line with NSW Government announcements today, the Hotspot has been extended.
The Australian Government Chief Medical Officer has extended Hotspot for the purposes of Commonwealth support for all LGAs in Greater Sydney, including the Blue Mountains, Central Coast and Wollongong from 6:00pm 26 June to 11:59pm on 16 July 2021, with further review on or before 15 July 2021.
Professor Kelly reminds members of the public of the increased risk of the highly transmissible Delta Variant and requests that they continue to follow the directions of New South Wales Health. All people are encouraged to continue to seek out their COVID-19 vaccination. Getting vaccinated is considered a valid reason to leave home.
Declaring a hotspot for Commonwealth support triggers, if required:
- Provision of PPE from the National Medical Stockpile
- Actions for aged care facilities including PPE, single site workforce supplement and integration of an aged care response centre into the Public Health Emergency Operations Centre
- Assistance with contact tracing
- Asymptomatic testing via General Practice led Respiratory Clinics
- Reprioritisation of vaccine supplies
- Access to COVID-19 Disaster Payment, if eligibility criteria is met, including the state imposed lockdown runs for greater than 7 days.
