NSW is entering another "critical" stage in the pandemic and the types of COVID-19 cases recorded in the next few days will determine if lockdown can end next week, the Premier says.
The lockdown for Greater Sydney, the Blue Mountains, the Central Coast and Shellharbour regions is slated to end on July 9, but to get to that point, authorities need to see some dramatic changes.
Every day this week the number of COVID-19 cases has risen, peaking yesterday at 31 new cases, of which 13 had been active in the community while infectious.
Premier Gladys Berejiklian said higher case numbers had been expected while NSW was still "mopping up" pre-lockdown cases, but the numbers now needed to start heading south.
"The next few days are critical because we know what we have been doing to this point in time is mopping up the few days leading into the lockdown, we anticipated that," Ms Berejiklian said.
"[But] come early next week, we do want to see the tide turn in terms of the number of people with the virus who are in isolation, as opposed to being active in the community."
Ms Berejiklian said authorities will base their decision about ending lockdown on whether there are any active cases that haven't been in partial or complete isolation.
Chief health officer Kerry Chant said it was too early to say whether the lockdown would need to be extended and refused to be drawn on what conversations she had been having with the nation's key decision making committee for health emergencies, the Australian Health Protection Principal Committee (AHPPC).
"I'm never going to comment on what discussions occur at AHPCC, that’s been my policy throughout this," she said.
"I'm not commenting about future settings."
Ms Berejiklian said the removal of the stay-at-home orders depended on all 8 million people in lockdown doing the right thing and making sensible decisions, particularly in retail settings.
Dr Chant said contact tracers had now become particularly concerned about potential transmission in shops.
"Please don't go out and about shopping in retail, in any setting, if you have got symptoms," she said.
"It also highlights the importance, as people are moving around in shopping centres, please do assume that you are next to someone who may have COVID, ensure you are wearing a mask at all times, and ensure that it covers your nose and mouth, and also please keep your distance."
Retail businesses are allowed to stay open during this lockdown but public health orders say shopping is only permitted to purchase essential goods and services.
But Dr Chant conceded what was considered essential for one person may not be for another.
"Practically it is impossible to define essential retail, because clearly if you’ve just relocated house and you have nothing with you, getting some bath towels and products are essential," Dr Chant said.
Earlier this week, secretary of the retail union SDA NSW, Bernie Smith, said the vagueness of the rules around retail could see staff turn up to work when, ideally, they should be staying at home.
He said it was highly important retail workers be prioritised for vaccines.
“We've seen how transmissible the Delta variant is and how many retail outlets have been visited by COVID-19 infected shoppers in NSW," Mr Smith said.
Mr Smith said the SDA had analysed the NSW exposure sites and found one-third of close-contact sites were a shop or shopping centre.
Ms Berejiklian has encouraged people to report anyone breaking the rules in public as the end of the lockdown could be impacted by just "a handful of people" not doing the right thing.
"We want a reduction of active community cases … especially in areas outside of the south-east Sydney zone," the Premier said.
"If you see something wrong, its not a bad thing to report it. Compliance is so important."
