Seven new COVID Xmas cases as testing record tumbles

It’s been revealed a child has tested positive for COVID-19 as an inner-Sydney cluster grows outside the northern beaches. It comes as Premier Gladys Berejiklian urged Sydneysiders to ‘think twice’ about heading to the CBD tomorrow ahead of the Boxing Day sales.

A child has tested positive for COVID-19 as an inner-Sydney cluster grows outside the northern beaches boundaries.

NSW Health has confirmed the young patient is the fourth in the Paddington Alimentari cluster.

Chief Health Officer Dr Kerry Chant said the child’s case will be counted in tomorrow’s numbers.

NSW recorded seven locally acquired COVID-19 cases reported from more than 69,800 tests in NSW on Thursday, beating the Wednesday record of 60,184 tests carried out.

Six cases were linked to the Avalon cluster and already in isolation, while the seventh case was a worker in the northern beaches also linked to the outbreak.

Premier Gladys Berejiklian urged Sydneysiders to “think twice” about heading to the CBD tomorrow ahead of the Boxing Day sales.

A girl is temperature checked during Christmas Day service in Sydney. Picture: Jenny Evans/Getty

“It’s proving to be constrained, but we can’t be too careful under these circumstances. We want to discourage people from going to the CBD tomorrow. Please limit your activity,” Ms Berejiklian said.

“If you are going shopping in the CBD, please make sure you wear a mask. We’ve already been in contact with retailers to make sure that there’s social distancing.”

Ms Berejiklian warned that wearing a mask “doesn’t protect you from getting the virus” or transmitting it and encouraged people to continue practicing health hygiene including using hand sanitisers.

.Dr Chant urged people who were at the Paragon Hotel to monitor their symptoms.

“Anyone at this venue while visiting the hotel at 12.45 to 3:30pm on Wednesday 16 December for more than one hour I considered closed contacts,” Dr Chant said.

Sydneysiders have been urged to “think twice” about heading to Boxing Day sales. in the CBD.

“Get tested, immediately and self isolate for 14 days regardless of the result. Anyone who was there for less than an hour needs to get tested immediately and self isolate pending a result.”

Anyone who attended the hotel outside of those times, are being told to monitor the symptoms and isolate and get tested immediately.

Dr Chant said authorities were still investigating how a man from Belrose on the northern beaches acquired COVID-19.

She said the man had experienced symptoms on December 10, but hasn’t been linked to the Avalon cluster, nor has he transmitted the virus to anyone.

“We are asking residents of Belrose and Davidson and surrounding suburbs to be alert for systems and even if you have symptoms,” Dr Chant said.

“We ask you to present the testing and this will help us in our investigations to better understand how this transmission event to this gentleman occurred.

“And potentially link it to help assist us with the investigation to see how this cluster was investigated.

Dr Chant said Boxing Day shopping sales “can often be busy places” and asked people to avoid the CBD.

“You have a number of alternatives: shop online, shop locally, and defer and delay and avoid crowded environments. And please, if you’re going into those shopping sales, please wear a mask,” Dr Chant said.

RULES FOR CHRISTMAS DAY

It will be a much sombre Christmas for some Sydneysiders today despite many being granted a three-day window of eased restrictions on gatherings.

The northern beaches remain split into separate high and low risk zones in response to the Avalon COVID cluster until Boxing Day.

All Sydneysiders are being warned to limit their mobility over the Christmas break, but particularly on the city’s northern beaches.

Children attend a Christmas Day service at St Paul’s Church in Burwood. Picture: Getty

Since yesterday, those living north of the Narrabeen Bridge and east of the Baha’i temple on Mona Vale Road can either visit the home of others who live in the same zone or can host five other people, including children, from the same zone.

The southern part of the northern beaches will join Sydney in being allowed 10 guests into their homes. In a slight easing of existing restrictions, children under 12 will not count towards the 10 for those three days.

The northern beaches remain split into separate high and low risk zones.

The northern part will be able to have five people visit their home during the Christmas period, but they must all reside within that part of the Northern Beaches Local Government Area.

All northern beaches residents will not be allowed to leave the area. The stay-at-home public health order was amended to allow for home visits within each person’s part of the northern beaches over Christmas, but otherwise remains in place.

After Boxing Day the maximum number of visitors will return to 10 with no exceptions for children.

Despite the tight limits on household gatherings for Greater Sydney, 100 people will still be allowed at public outdoor gatherings, which means big Christmas lunches and barbies at the beach or the park is still allowed today.

There are close to 300 testing facilities open over Christmas, with people urged not to delay being tested if they begin to notice even mild symptoms.

TRANSPORTING RETURNED TRAVELLERS ‘NOT A ONE-OFF’

Protocols designed to separate healthcare workers transporting suspected COVID cases from vulnerable patients in the community broke down “for a period of time” before being reinstated, NSW Chief Health Officer Kerry Chant says.

However one patient transport officer has claimed it has been “very regular practice” since the start of the pandemic for crew to work with both potentially sick returned travellers and general patients in the community.

Premier Gladys Berejiklian (right) watches on as NSW Chief Health Officer Kerry Chant updates the media. Picture: NCA NewsWire/Flavio Brancaleone

Dr Chant’s admission about the protocol breakdown came only after The Daily Telegraph revealed a patient transport worker was used to transport an aged care resident after working with sick returned travellers.

The lapse in infection control in the state’s international border operation raised serious questions about safety measures for staff working with sick returned travellers.

Dr Chant has apologised for the issue, saying NSW Health will “make sure that there is no … overlap of crew”.

“That process was in place and we’re now reinstating that,” she said.

Despite insisting measures were in place to separate crew working with returned travellers,

one patient transport officer has told The Daily Telegraph that it has been a “very regular practice” since the beginning of the pandemic for crews to work with suspected COVID cases and general patients.

The officer said they had recently transferred multiple suspected COVID cases from hotel quarantine and general patients in the one day.

“I don’t know if there has been a policy (of separation) and they’ve ignored it, but we’ve been doing this on and off for months,” the officer said, speaking anonymously for fear of disciplinary action.

NSW Health did not comment about the claims.

Dr Chant said crossover of crew was stopped “immediately” after an issue was first raised.

“(The separation) was there before, but for some reason there was a reversion to not use that process,” she said.

“We have reinstituted the separation.”

The Daily Telegraph on Thursday revealed that a healthcare worker who transported sick returned travellers into quarantine had also transported a Castle Hill ­retirement village resident ­before testing positive to COVID-19.

Two workers involved in transporting sick travellers have this week tested positive to COVID-19. One case is genomically linked with the Avalon cluster, while NSW Health is awaiting genomic testing results for the second.

A spokeswoman from HealthShare NSW, the agency responsible for patient transfer services, said “both workers stopped working and self-isolated the moment they first experienced symptoms”.

Premier Gladys Berejiklian initially deflected questions about the matter, directing them to Dr Chant.

When asked whether she would seek an explanation into how the safety breach occurred, Ms Berejiklian said: “Why would you assume that I haven’t already?

“As soon as it was brought to our attention, I was already advised that the operational readjustment had been made,” she said”.

However Ms Berejiklian admitted that “sometimes mistakes will occur” in managing the COVID pandemic.

“I believe we have one of the strongest systems in the planet, but mistakes will continue to be made, and I can‘t pretend that’s not going to happen,” she said.

Health Services Union NSW Secretary Gerard Hayes said the operation must be “transparent” to prevent future issues.

“Clearly we need the utmost integrity of the (Patient Transport Service), to ensure that there‘s absolutely no avenue for the virus to escape that service,” Mr Hayes said.

Originally published as Seven new COVID Xmas cases as testing record tumbles