NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian Will Livestream COVID-19 Pressers on TikTok From Today

We love a trendy queen.

In an interesting new bid to capture youth attention and support the spread of accurate COVID-19 information, the NSW government has decided to start livestreaming premier Gladys Berejiklian’s coronavirus press conferences on TikTok from today.

While we don’t expect to see Gladys showing us her rendition of the “Renegade” dance any time soon, she will be hopping on the app via the @NSWHealth account to give us all the latest numbers and lockdown deets.

The arrival of Gladys and her trendy government to the video sharing app is no surprise considering the drama that went down last month when self-titled ‘comedian’ Jon-Bernard Kairouz (better known as “the TikTok guy”) leaked the NSW community COVID-19 case numbers before the state government could.

(Important note: Jon-Bernard has recently been called out for sharing racist jokes against Indigenous Australians.)

After a crackdown on his sources (and an arrest for attending the lockdown protests last month) it makes sense that the state would want to take control of the spread of coronavirus information from here on out.

“In addition to the daily TV broadcast, the TikTok livestream will support the dissemination of accurate, timely and important public health messages to wider audiences and raise awareness amongst TikTok’s diverse community,” TikTok’s Global Public Policy Director for Australia and New Zealand, Brent Thomas, said in a statement.

“With the highly transmissible COVID-19 Delta strain circulating in NSW and the steep increase in COVID-19 case numbers, it’s more important now than ever to ensure our community stays safe and helps stop the spread of COVID-19.”

The livestreams will be an addition to the Q&A sessions already on the @NSWHealth account, which were previously hosted by NSW’s Chief Health Officer Kerry Chant.

“At TikTok, we welcome the opportunity to support governments and health bodies around Australia in this vital work and to help spread the message,” Thomas added.

“Globally we’ve been partnering with NGOs and experts to help fight COVID-19, and it’s great to be collaborating with local authorities who recognise the role we can help play in these efforts.

“Making sure people are safe, connected and have access to credible information on COVID-19 will continue to be a focus for TikTok as the pandemic evolves.”

While seeing your local politician on your fyp probably isn’t what you expect to see while you’re casually scrolling, it’s not the first time political livestreams have been shared on the app.

Back in March, Aussie TikTok star @minorfauna, who is well known for her politician monologues and political content, livestreamed a chat with Australia’s first female Prime Minister Julia Gillard.

The content in the live streams is likely going to be exactly what you usually see on your telly screens each morning, so I wouldn’t get too excited about any fun new content, but hey at least you’re getting more opportunities to find the right health info.

You can catch Gladys and government health officials on TikTok from 11am AEST every day.

Header Image: Facebook (@gladysberejiklian)