
New South Wales has been teetering on a knife's edge for several weeks now.
The state's daily COVID-19 cases have been hovering in the teens, as authorities work to contain various outbreaks. Most pressing right now are the 19 infections so far linked to the Tangara School for Girls in Cherrybrook, a suburb in Sydney's north-west.
"NSW remains in a state of high alert," Premier Gladys Berejiklian said on Wednesday morning.
"Please know that whilst numbers have remained stable in New South Wales for the past month, we can't be assured of that moving forward."
Watch: Premier Gladys Berejiklian on the current state of COVID-19 in NSW.
A glance across the southern border shows the unnerv
ing potential of NSW's situation.Victoria has recorded a sharp rise in infections since the end of June, largely courtesy of failures in hotel quarantine.
On Tuesday alone, the state recorded 410 new cases and 21 deaths, which is mercifully lower than the record-high of 725 infections on August 8.
Other states have been monitoring the situation, paying particular attention to the successes and shortfalls of the Victorian Government's response. But few have been watching more closely than NSW.
Speaking at a press conference this morning, Premier Berejiklian hinted at what her state would do differently should the situation deteriorate.
Lessons from Victoria.
As daily cases climbed into triple figures in July, Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews enforced Stage 3 lockdowns in specific hotspot areas. The rules were initially applied to certain postcodes, before being swiftly expanded to all of metropolitan Melbourne and the Mitchell Shire.
But the epidemic curve proved stubborn.
Melburnians are now 10 days into a six-week Stage 4 lockdown. That means they can only leave home for work, to provide care, for one hour of daily exercise and to shop for essentials (that task can only be performed by one person per household per day). A curfew is also in place between 8pm and 5am.
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