'History is repeating': Lisa Wilkinson SLAMS Gladys Berejiklian for Sydney's 'confusing' lockdown - as The Project hosts accuse NSW of not learning from huge mistakes made in Melbourne's outbreak

NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian under fire over Sydney coronavirus lockdown
Came under fire on The Project for handling of crisis as cases continue to soar
Accused of making same mistakes as Daniel Andrews in Victoria a year ago
Echoed calls for less confusion and better communication in health messages

By Kylie Stevens For Daily Mail Australia

Published: 12:37 BST, 8 July 2021 | Updated: 13:11 BST, 8 July 2021

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Gladys Berejiklian has been slammed over her handling of Sydney's latest coronavirus outbreak and her refusal to use the word 'lockdown'.

The Project co-host Lisa Wilkinson and fellow panelists didn't hold back in a scathing attack of the New South Wales premier on a day her state recorded 38 new cases, the highest number of daily infections since the first wave of the pandemic.

Ms Berejiklian came under fire for her 'confusing' stance and was accused of repeating mistakes made by Victoria counterpart Daniel Andrews during the state's horror Covid-19 wave a year ago, which saw Melbourne plunged into a 112-day lockdown.

Residents in Sydney and surrounding areas have been urged to limit their movements further and avoid mingling while those in the Fairfield, Liverpool and Canterbury-Bankstown areas have been ordered to not leave home unless necessary.

Ms Wilkinson is among millions of Sydneysiders approaching their third week of lockdown after it was extended until at least July 16.

She accused the premier of badly communicating the severity of the outbreak to millions of Sydenysiders, leaving residents baffled about whether they were in lockdown as cases continue to soar.

Sydney is battling to control its latest coronavirus outbreak as the city approaches its third week of lockdown (pictured, a woman in Bankstown where residents are urged to not leave their homes)

'Right from the beginning of this, Gladys Berejiklian was refusing to call it a lockdown and that was the most important moment of communication,' Ms Wilkinson told the program.

'We all knew, and still know, that the Delta variant is so much more transmissible and she never adopted a stance that made it look like she was taking this even more seriously than Dan Andrews was, because she had every reason to.'

'She had the Prime Minister at the same time saying, "Gladys is the gold standard of how you do these sorts of lockdowns".

'Sydney has kind of been confused and it's no surprise to anybody that the numbers are the way they are.'

Panelist Peter Hellier agreed there was mass confusion.

'It's a word I'm hearing a lot from my Sydney friends - confused.'

Sydney-based The Project co-host Lisa Wilkinson (pictured) was scathing of the NSW Premier on Thursday night

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Co-host Waleed Aly acknowledged health officials are doing their best but expressed concern about the similarities between the current Sydney crisis and last year's debacle in Victoria.

'What amazes me about this is the way that history is repeating and lessons don't seem to have been learned,' he said.

'It reminds me so much of the situation in Melbourne last year where you had people from low-income areas with insecure work that couldn't take time off to get tested or whatever it was.

'And it was only after the outbreak reached those points where people went, oh my God, that is a bit of a problem, and especially there with multicultural communities,

'The Victorian government was poor at it and it became a problem and I think now we're seeing the NSW government is poor at it and I don't understand why lessons aren't being learned?

'Is it just too hard or they aren't watching to see what the lessons are?'

NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian (pictured) came under fire on The Project for not taking the outbreak seriously enough

The Project panelists echoed calls for less confusion and better communication in public health messages (pictured, residents stocking up on essentials in Bankstown

The panelists' calls for less confusion and improved communication in the government's messages were echoed by Canterbury-Bankstown mayor Khal Asfour earlier in the segment.

'We've had this pandemic on our shores for 18 months. I think the messaging is right, and they've got the material,' he told the program.

'I think they've just had a bit of a problem in getting it out there to the right people.

'Community leaders are locked down at home. Our mosques, our churches, our places of worship are locked down.'

'We're a very faith-based community out here and it's very hard for people to hear these messages from their faith-based leaders and I think it's important that when that's occurring that the government needs to double down on their efforts and make sure that people are getting the right message.'

All The Project panelists (pictured) agreed that the NSW Premier was repeating mistakes made by Victoria counterpart Daniel Andrews during the state's horror Covid-19 wave a year ago

SYDNEY'S LOCKDOWN: WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW UNTIL JULY 16

Those living in Greater Sydney, the Blue Mountains, Central Coast, Shellharbour and Wollongong must abide by the following:

Masks are mandatory in all indoor settings outside the home, including offices

Weddings are banned and funerals are capped at 100 people - or 1 person per 4sqm - with masks required indoors

There is no curfew but a stay at home order applies, with only four reasons to leave your home

Schools are closed with at-home learning in place, but no child will be turned away if they need to attend in person

*The four reasons you can leave your home:

Shopping for food or other essential goods and services

Medical care or compassionate needs (including to get a COVID-19 vaccine)

Exercise outdoors in groups of 10 or fewer

Essential work, or education, where you cannot work or study from home

The rest of NSW (including regional areas) is subject to the following restrictions:

No more than five visitors (including children) allowed in homes

Masks are compulsory in all indoor non-residential settings

The four-square-metre rule is back for indoor and outdoor settings and drinking while standing at indoor venues is not allowed

Dancing will not be allowed at indoor hospitality venues or nightclubs, but dancing is allowed at weddings for the wedding party (no more than 20 people)

Dance and gym classes are limited to 20 people per class and masks must be worn

When does the lockdown end?

Stay at home orders apply to Greater Sydney including the Blue Mountains, Central Coast, Wollongong and Shellharbour until 11.59pm on Friday, July 16 2021