Illawarra MPs remain hopeful of lockdown restrictions easing for at least some of the region, with the NSW government likely to announce on Wednesday what - if any - changes are in store.
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There have been media reports that Shellharbour and the Central Coast will be released from the stay-at-home order, but Kiama MP Gareth Ward has told the Illawarra Mercury that he is not aware of any definite decision.
However, Mr Ward said he had made strong representations to the government, urging it to lift the lockdown in the Shellharbour local government area.
The community should be rewarded for its hard work, he said, with no cases recorded among residents of the municipality and no incidents since a positive case visited the Baby Bunting store over a month ago.
Mr Ward said he would want a "pretty good explanation" if the lockdown continued in Shellharbour, especially given the easing of restrictions overnight in the state's central west.
He said he had been "very hopeful" that Shellharbour would have come out of lockdown on Sunday, but the "irresponsible" and "selfish" anti-lockdown protests the day before ruined those chances.
Mr Ward was less optimistic about Wollongong's chances of leaving lockdown, but he hoped for more localised restrictions so the whole of Illawarra could be freed.
"I'd like to see a ring of steel around Sydney, frankly," he said.
Member for Wollongong Paul Scully said there remained some concern around the potential impact of Saturday's anti-lockdown protests on case numbers.
"My position remains that I'd like the Illawarra brought out of lockdown as early as it is safe to do so," Mr Scully said.
He said any roadmap out of lockdown needed to look at opportunities in areas like the Illawarra, where there had been low rates of community transmission.
Mr Scully and his Labor colleagues, Keira MP Ryan Park and Member for Shellharbour Anna Watson, have approached the government, requesting they be able to provide feedback on behalf of the community around the easing of restrictions.
He said they did not want to see any division within the region and unintended confusion because of new rules, and the community and businesses needed time and certainty about how they could get back to work.
Mr Scully said small changes could make a big impact for those living and working on the edges of the lockdown area.
The lockdown came into effect on June 26 and was originally slated to last for two weeks, but has since been extended twice.
The current order is due to expire at 11.59pm Friday, July 30.
"At every opportunity, we will look to have our community stay as safe as possible, but also provide those freedoms as quickly as we can," Premier Gladys Berejiklian said.
"We're not there yet and we look forward to making further announcements this week on what life beyond July 31 looks like."
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