The daily 11am COVID update and news conference from NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian has become a sought after resource for information for people across the state.
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The latest testing and positive case numbers, as well as restriction updates are delivered from the Premier, NSW Chief Health Officer Dr Kerry Chant, NSW Health Minister Brad Hazzard and others.
The hope is to ensure that our community is well informed. But when comments without additional explanation, or those seemingly at odds with previous advice, are made by the powers-that-be, it does little to put the community at ease or in a position of complete understanding.
This has been the case at conferences this week.
None of the media attending the conference posed a question regarding the possibility of regional exposure.
Then on Tuesday, Mr Hazzard had to amend a confusing public health order that was circulated on Sunday which left employers in NSW's regions facing $10,000 fines if they did not order their workers to stay at home.
Mr Hazzard said the order was only intended to reference the hot zones of Greater Sydney and the Illawarra/Shoalhaven, not the entire state as it first appeared.
Our community, which has been for the most part, following the latest COVID regulations - registering movements with QR codes, wearing face masks indoors and avoiding identified lockdown areas - is left wondering what next?
Are there new exposure sites? Have they been to any of them? Has the dreaded virus reached this regional area?
People are listening, even hanging off every word that comes from our leaders, to find out what is happening.
As of 6pm Tuesday, more than half of Australia's population will be in lockdown. NSW is heading for its fourth week of lockdown and is in its first week of stricter conditions, while Victoria's snap five-day lockdown has been extended for another week. On Tuesday, South Australia joined in, announcing a seven-day lockdown.
Throw away lines, such as "areas of concern for increased testing", but no further explanation, are simply not good enough.
