New South Wales' lockdown has been extended for at least another two weeks until Friday, July 30 as the state's outbreak of COVID-19 continues to escalate.
The state's health authority confirmed there are 97 new local cases on Wednesday, 24 of which were infectious in the community.
Seventy-one people have been hospitalised due to COVID-19. Of these, 20 are in intensive care, four of whom are requiring ventilation.
The 97 new infections bring NSW's COVID-19 case total to 6362.
NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian confirmed the lockdown extension during the daily COVID-19 press conference.
"Based on the health advice... and it always hurts to say this, but we need to extend the lockdown for at least another two weeks," she said.
"We will assess the situation at the end of those two weeks and provide information beyond that."
Students in Greater Sydney and its surrounding areas have been told that school will continue to be taught from home during the lockdown.
Berejiklian was asked whether she thought the two week extension will be long enough to bring the case numbers down.
She replied that the government is aiming for zero community cases.
"If we have cases in isolation, that is less of a concern to us and I want to make that clear. The number that would worry us in the last 24 hours is the 24 number - 24 people were infectious in the community. We need to get that down to as close to zero as possible. The advice on the two weeks is provided through health."
Berejiklian also defended the government's decision to announce the initial lockdown when they did, despite concerns it should have been implemented sooner.
"Our decisions are always based on health advice. I have as many people telling us we went too early as saying we went too late," she said.
"Our job as a government is to make decisions based on health advice and data and that is what we will continue to do.
"I appreciate people are stressed and upset about what is going on, myself included. None of us want to be in this situation. But it is our job to keep the community safe as well as make sure we keep jobs going for the future which is what we have done without the economic package, we have taken the health response and obviously a broader business and economic response which is really important."
MCG health alert
The NSW outbreak has also crossed state borders to Victoria - with seven new local cases reported on Wednesday afternoon.
Four cases are linked to the Ariele apartments that was visited by Sydney removalists who went on to test positive.
According to 7News, a newly confirmed case also visited the MCG on Saturday afternoon for the Carlton v Geelong football game.
Victoria's Department of Health has since listed the entire MCG between 4pm and 8pm on Saturday as a Tier 3 exposure site.
Approximately 2000 fans have been identified through initial contact tracing.
