Wagga businesses and community leaders say while an extension to the regional NSW lockdown is disappointing, it is the right decision to keep the Riverina safe.
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The state government announced a two-week extension to the current lockdown on Thursday after NSW recorded more than 1000 new cases of COVID-19, and clusters in regional towns of western NSW continue to grow.
Many local residents and business owners were anticipating a local government area approach to the lockdown being lifted, with the stay-at-home orders initially set to end on August 28.
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Deputy Premier John Barilaro has spent nearly two weeks touting the LGA-approach, and had remained "confident" that low-risk council areas would return to pre-lockdown conditions after Saturday.
Instead, the entire state will remain in lockdown until at least September 10.
"The reality is, is that it's just a knife edge," Mr Barilaro said.
"When we started looking at regions that we could cut out, and then we looked at interconnectivity with other LGAs, the decision was easier to lock down [the whole state] in a proactive manner to protect communities."
The Deputy Premier said during the crisis cabinet meet on Wednesday - when the lockdown decision was discussed - health authorities and the government had to consider new exposure sites, positive sewage testing in new areas, and the fact there was "no real decline" in cases in western NSW.
"To unlock a half a dozen or a dozen LGAs the risk was too high, and in one way those LGAs are possibly clean because of the restrictions," Mr Barilaro said.
Speaking about the Riverina and border region specifically, he said the outbreak in Victoria, the cluster in Shepparton and recent exposure sites in Temora all played a role in the decision.
"The reality was it was a precautionary measure," Mr Barilaro said.
COVID fragments were this week detected in Cooma and Merimbula, which the Deputy Premier said was "alarming" considering the interconnectivity between those regions.
"Is it the same [person]? We don't know," he said.
"What we'll do is ramp up resources for more sewage surveillance across places like Tumut and Talbingo and back down the other way as well."
Member for Wagga Joe McGirr said he was hopeful the two-week extension would help reduce the risk of a second, longer lockdown in the future.
"Lockdowns are hard and the impacts of the current restrictions are being felt right across the community, including in businesses that are affected, families with young children at home from school or care and those who cannot visit relatives and loved ones in hospital or aged care facilities," Dr McGirr said.
Wagga mayor Greg Conkey said the lockdown extension was "disappointing, but it shouldn't come as a surprise".
Cr Conkey believed it was "unfortunately" the right decision, and said when meeting with welfare groups on Wednesday night "the view around the table is it's a matter of when COVID comes to the city".
The mayor will also be meeting with business groups next week, with the lockdown having a "significant economic impact" on Wagga and the city's businesses.
"My thoughts are with all those people who are impacted by this," he said.
"Unfortunately some people will lose their jobs."
Forum 6 Cinema manager Craig Lucas echoed the opinion that the lockdown was disappointing, but said it was important for everyone to follow the rules and get vaccinated.
Mr Lucas said the grant scheme available to all NSW businesses was "not much in the scheme of things", but with rent costs ongoing - even while the cinema is closed - "every bit helps".
"[It's] very difficult to make plans except a week at a time," he said.
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