Three rural councils in New South Wales, Australia enter 7-day lockdown

July 21, 2021

A week-long lockdown began at midnight yesterday in the, , and local government areas in New South Wales (NSW), Australia, after a local resident was infected with COVID-19 by a truck driver at the  food factory in , which the driver had visited daily from July 13 to 16.

The decision to go into lockdown follows what ABC News described as a "crisis cabinet meeting" of the New South Wales government. Under the new regulations, residents of the three areas will only be permitted to leave their homes for "essential" reasons. Shops, schools, and construction are remaining open. Five sites in have been listed as exposure venues, and people who visited one or more are advised by  to get tested for the coronavirus and to self-isolate for two weeks.

A lockdown in the Greater Sydney area, including the, , , and , has been ongoing since June 26 due to an outbreak of the Delta variant of COVID-19. New South Wales yesterday recorded 78 new cases of COVID-19. The Western NSW Local Health District has put hospitals on red alert, limiting visits.