Illawarra residents can now see exactly how many cases of COVID-19 have been confirmed in their local government area.
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NSW Health has this week added more detail to its website, so that people can get a clearer idea of how the pandemic is affecting their local health district, or local government area.
However there has been criticism that the information is not updated regularly enough, and that the 'heat maps' revealing cases in each LGA are hard to decipher.
There's also not enough information at a local or regional level on whether cases are contracted locally or overseas - or if there's an unknown source of infection. And there's no local age breakdown.
For instance, the NSW Health website on Thursday afternoon was still showing cases as at 8pm on Wednesday.
At that stage there were 44 confirmed COVID-19 cases in the Illawarra Shoalhaven Local Health District (by Thursday morning it was 51). This represented 10.49 cases per 100,000 residents.
In the Wollongong LGA there were 24 cases, in Shellharbour there were 10; seven cases in the Shoalhaven LGA and 'one to four' cases in Kiama.
As for the source of infection locally, one to four cases in the Wollongong LGA and another one to four cases in the Shoalhaven LGA are listed on the site as having an "unknown transmission".
Meantime the Wollongong LGA is also listed as one of eight LGAs where there's a "cluster" of cases, with 34 cases in the LGA from one event - in which the date of first onset of symptoms started on March 9.
The Mercury has previously reported 31 confirmed cases of coronavirus among guests who attended a wedding at Tumbling Waters Retreat at Stanwell Tops on March 6.
Labor's health spokesman Ryan Park would like to see a better, and more timely, breakdown of COVID-19 cases to ensure people take the threat more seriously.
"I don't want people to become complacent and think that this virus is not within our local community," he said.
"People need to know that every single one of us has a responsibility to do the right thing and behave in a way that not only protects ourselves but also the most vulnerable in the community.
"People are more likely to do this if they have information available to them that reflects what's happening in their neighbourhood in relation to COVID-19."
However NSW Minister for Family and Community services, Kiama MP Gareth Ward, said he was pleased NSW Health was giving the public additional detail on cases.
But he added a warning to those who would flout the government rules around social distancing, and urged people to stay at home.
"If you're not from the region go home - we don't want holidaymakers here at the moment. There will be a time for that but that time isn't now," he said.
"It's important that people follow the health advice, particularly in relation to social distancing. People who break the rules will prolong this deadly virus."
Read more:
- South Coast region 'lost 5000 jobs in barely 24 hours, with 5000 more to go'
- Two in hospital as confirmed coronavirus cases in the Illawarra Shoalhaven jumps to 38
- Iconic Wollongong eatery Chicko's latest casualty of COVID-19 shutdown
- Why hair, beauty and tattoo salons are puzzled by COVID-19 restrictions
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