In October 2021, Gladys Berejiklian resigned over ICAC allegations of misconduct and Dominic Perrottet was elected by his party to be premier of NSW. In December 2021, he opened up NSW economy which led to spiralling COVID-19 Omicron pandemic.
From July 2021, Greater Sydney had a citywide lockdown due to Delta variant of COVID-19 virus. Daily new case numbers were over 1000 by 28/8/21 which is staggering. Mostly low income, illiterate, migrant, multicultural areas are suffering the worst. Some country areas even as far as Tamworth, Dubbo and Walgett are affected in aboriginal areas. There were 2 protests in Sydney CBD against lockdown which were quashed by police.
Border with most other states is closed. Permits are used to justify travel between New South Wales and other states. This has led to decline in interstate travel and business for those states and New South Wales. New South Wales Government is giving grants to businesses to keep them going for time being.
Australian Dept of Health did not supply enough COVID-19 vaccine so NSW Dept of Health and GPs and pharmacies are doing the best they can to get vaccination rates up. Currently they are only 30% in 28/8/21. They need to be 70% which will take at least into March or June 2022 to achieve so lockdown may drag on for months past December with all the poverty and depression that comes with it. NSW Dept of Health has vaccination and testing centres all across Sydney.
Hundreds of health workers are contracting COVID-19 so having to be quarantined reducing numbers of available staff to handle influx of cases.
Prince of Wales Hospital Randwick is chief COVID-19 testing facility for New South Wales Dept of Health according to UTS webinar in 14/7/21 which I attended via Zoom.
In January 2017, Mike Baird stepped down as Premier of NSW and Gladys Berejiklian became Premier.