Construction sites throughout Greater Sydney are now shut as the government in that NSW moves to address the COVID outbreak in that state.

As the state continues to battle the outbreak of the Delta variant, NSW Premier Gladys Berijiklian and Health Minister Brad Hazard unveiled new restrictions on Saturday.

The restrictions cover the Greater Sydney Area include the Central Coast, Blue Mountains, Wollongong and Shellharbour.

They will apply until at least Friday July 30.

Under the new restrictions, work on construction sites must not be carried out unless it is necessary in order to:

  • ensure the safety or security of the construction site
  • deal with environmental risks
  • maintain critical plant or equipment that would otherwise deteriorate
  • receive deliveries of supplies that would otherwise deteriorate
  • maintain public utilities
  • ensure the safe operation of existing transport infrastructure
  • undertake work by or on behalf of NSW Health in response to the COVID-19 pandemic; or
  • deal with an emergency.

As well, all non-essential maintenance on residential premises needs to be stopped.

This includes cleaning services and repair work on residential premises.

However, tradespeople are still allowed to visit residential premises for urgent work.

This includes, but is not limited to, fixing broken hot water systems or holes in the roof.

The directions also dictate that:

  • Anyone who leaves the home must have a mask with them at all times. They must be worn when you are working outdoors, in outdoor markets, outdoor shopping strips, and in an outdoor queues waiting for products such as coffee and food.
  • All carpooling to be stopped unless among members of the same household.
  • Employers must allow employees to work from home if the employee is able to do so, failure to do so can result in a fine of up to $10,000.

The latest restrictions come as New South Wales tries to get on top of the latest outbreak – especially the more infectious Delta variant.

On Sunday, the state recorded 105 new COVID cases – of which 66 were linked to known outbreaks.

In a statement, Berijiklian and Hazzard said the latest decisions were not taken lightly.

“These decisions have not been made lightly and we understand this is a difficult time for the community and appreciate their ongoing patience,” the statement read.

“It is vital people continue to come forward for testing to help us find any COVID-19 cases in the community.”