Greater Sydney and surrounding areas under strict lockdown are set for a cold, wet and windy weekend, with health authorities cautioning residents not to use the rain as an excuse to visit shops instead of exercising outdoors.
From Friday, showers are predicted across Sydney, including north of Wollongong, up to the mid-north coast of New South Wales, with gusty winds expected to make temperatures feel about four degrees lower than the average for July.
Coastal areas will experience the brunt of the wet weather, with maximums in Sydney predicted to be 16C on Saturday and 17C on Sunday, however temperatures across the eastern part of the state will feel cold.
On Saturday, south-westerly winds will increase to 30km/h in the day, with temperatures expected to drop to about 10C in the evenings. The weather system will be the result of a low pressure system developing off the east coast of NSW, according to the Bureau of Meteorology’s Dean Narramore.
Announcing tightened lockdown restrictions including a strengthened ban on browsing in shops and a limit of one person per household visiting shops for essential purchases each day, the NSW premier, Gladys Berejiklian, warned the wet weather could present a unique threat to Covid containment.
“I think the message about this weekend and potential rain is that indoor settings are where the virus transmits more readily, so do not use grocery shopping as your outdoor event,” she said.
“Do not browse, do not go to an indoor setting because you are bored and it’s a rainy weekend, that is how the virus spreads. Only leave home when you absolutely have to and in fact indoor settings, whether it’s a household, whether it’s a supermarket, are more likely to spread the virus than exercising outdoors,” Berejiklian said.
Narramore said while the wet weather won’t be extreme, it is expected to be unpleasant enough to make it “a good few days to stay at home”.
“We’re not talking about a big soaking rainfall or flooding ... showers will come in waves, and they’ll be heavy at times, and that’ll continue for much of Saturday and Sunday,” Narramore said.
