Two Illawarra Labor MPs have written to the NSW premier urging Gladys Berejiklian to relax COVID-19 restrictions for Wollongong.
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Ryan Park and Paul Scully, the state members for Keira and Wollongong respectively, expressed their disappointment Wollongong was "lumped" with Greater Sydney and faced the same restrictions.
Shellharbour though escaped the tougher restrictions when the NSW Government reacted to the outbreak of COVID-19 cases on the Northern Beaches last weekend.
At the time Labor's health spokesman Ryan Park hit out at the NSW Government, saying he was baffled about the way the COVID-19 restrictions had been applied and communicated in the Illawarra.
Mr Park remains confused, especially considering the same restrictions don't apply for Newcastle, which is around the same distance from the current Northern Beaches hotspot, as Wollongong.
"We just don't understand why given the low rates of transmission we've had here and the fact we haven't had cases for months that we've been included when the cluster still continues to remain centered around the Northern Beaches," he said.
"It is a long way from Wollongong. It is not a place that I would say Wollongong people travel to each and every week and certainly the same distance from Newcastle to the Northern Beaches and yet they are not on restrictions."
Mr Park and Mr Scully said the "general health advise" explanation by the government did not make sense.
"This decision is impacting on the community. It is impacting on small businesses and their ability to trade," Mr Park said.
"We haven't had local transmissions for months now and our local economy desperately needs a boost to keep businesses open and locals in jobs.
"They've had a very difficult 12 months and we want to try and give them every opportunity to have a summer where they get some money coming through the tills and people keep going to work.
"We want the Premier to reconsider Wollongong and take Wollongong out of the current Greater Sydney restrictions.
"We don't think it is necessary. We haven't had cases, and subject to being no cases emerging, we believe that Wollongong should stay out of it.
"We just don't see at the moment what the reason for putting Wollongong in the Greater Sydney restrictions are. As you would appreciate residents of Wollongong remain perplexed by our inclusion, particularly given there have been no confirmed COVID cases or venues recording visits by confirmed COVID cases."
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Agron Latifi
Wollongong born and bred. I love reporting about the Illawarra region and have been doing it for more than 20 years. I've moved into sport recently after covering the education round for the last five plus years for the Illawarra Mercury. It's been a great pleasure.
Wollongong born and bred. I love reporting about the Illawarra region and have been doing it for more than 20 years. I've moved into sport recently after covering the education round for the last five plus years for the Illawarra Mercury. It's been a great pleasure.
