Penrith’s main shopping areas resembled a ghost down this morning, with the majority of retailers shutting down in the wake of the COVID-19 lockdown.
While some retailers remain open – including giants like JB Hi-Fi and Harvey Norman – most are taking a safety first approach and closing their doors until the lockdown ends.
It means the likes of Westfield Penrith, High Street and Penrith Homemaker Centre have been extremely quiet this morning.
But while restaurants have been forced to close, most are reverting to take-away and delivery options – many re-implementing processes they had in place during last year’s shutdown.
NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian this morning urged residents to use delivery services, saying she wanted to avoid as much movement in the community as possible.
18 new cases of COVID-19 were reported in the community today, with case numbers expected to vary in coming days as the effect of the lockdown starts to be realised.
There were almost 60,000 tests recorded yesterday.
Locals reported wait times of nearly four hours at the Sydney International Regatta Centre testing site, prompting calls for the Penrith Paceway site to be re-opened.
