Coronavirus NSW: 10 new cases in Sydney
Victoria will follow South Australia’s lead and shut its borders to NSW as the state recorded 10 new cases in the last testing period. All but one of the new cases are linked to existing clusters.
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Victoria has followed South Australia’s lead and decided to shut its border to the entire state of NSW from 11.59pm on New Year’s Day.
Victorian Acting Premier Jacinta Allan said it was not “an easy choice”.
“Closing borders putting in place restrictions is never an easy choice to make, certainly not one we wanted to be making and announcing on a day that is supposed to be about celebrating,” she said.
From January 2 the entire state of NSW will become a red zone. Anyone who returns to Victoria from NSW between now and January 1 (excluding current red zones) will need to undertake a test and go into isolation for 14 days.
It comes as South Australia is closing its border to a ‘volatile’ NSW from midnight December 31. Read more here.
10 new COVID cases as premier warns situation is ‘volatile’
There were 10 cases of locally transmitted COVID-19 in NSW during the latest testing period with all but one linked to existing clusters.
NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian said there were almost 28,000 tests completed in the last 24-hour reporting period.
“I am really pleased. You can’t stress enough how important it is to keep up those high rates of testing,” she said.
“To 8pm last night there were 10 cases of community transmission in NSW. Five were directly linked to the Avalon cluster. Three, as we already foreshadowed yesterday, were members of the Croydon cluster which we foreshadowed. One was linked to the transport worker cluster which we had previously spoken about. One is under investigation - there is a chance it is an old case or a false positive.”
It comes as NSW Health released a number of new venues in south-west Sydney and a Coles in Wollongong that had been visited by a person with COVID-19. See the full list here.
Chief Health Officer Dr Kerry Chant urged people who were displaying symptoms to stay at home this evening and not attend any New Year’s Eve functions.
“It is important if you have any symptoms today, to not go to any functions or gatherings. Get tested and isolate. You do not want to be or contribute to super spreading events,” she said.
Dr Chant added that there were 27,894 tests reported, compared to the previous day’s total of 17,267.
She said those who are currently isolating on the Northern Beaches should be tested again before rejoining the community.
“I would also like to stress that I’m asking them to go that extra mile and make sure that they get a test towards the end of their 14-day isolation, around day 12,” she said.
“They will then have that result available on day 14 and can safely leave that period of quarantine. We want to make sure we do not set off another train of
transmission.”
Dr Chant said more information about the Inner West cluster would become available today.
“It was due to be coming off the gene sequence at about 10.45am,” she said.
“There needs to be some analysis on cross-checking, and check it against things, so I am expecting this result later this afternoon.”
She added there had not been information released about a case in the Sutherland Shire because of confidentiality.
“We release all of the venues that are known to be a risk. Certainly, if there is a venue where we know everyone has been or a workplace where it has effectively got everyone we don’t necessarily put that out,” she said.
“That is our practice, again, to protect the confidentiality and have faith in the system. We are aware of a case that has spent some time in Lilli Pilli that is being followed up with public health and that relates to a workplace.
Police Assistant Commissioner Mick Willing urged people to stay at home and follow the public health orders for their New Year’s Eve celebrations.
“You’re going to see large numbers of uniformed police officers out and about. We will be checking licensed premises, doorknocking where necessary, out patrolling public areas to ensure people abide by the current health orders,” he said.
“This is about community safety, from our perspective. COVID safety, from our perspective.”
Fresh fears for city’s south
NSW health authorities are investigating a COVID-carrier’s movements in southern Sydney after the Northern Territory deemed them a such a risk that it is forcing anyone who has been in Sutherland or Lilli Pilli into quarantine.
NSW chief health officer Kerry Chant today said she was “aware of a case that has spent some time in Lilli Pilli but that has been followed up by public health and it relates to a workplace” which she did not identify.
“I would have to check if there’s any cases in Sutherland,” Dr Chant said.
But she added: “I’m not concerned about general community transfer in that area.”
The NSW Government’s COVID site advises that people who went to several venues in Cronulla on December 16 should “monitor for symptoms” but it has no warnings about Lilli Pilli or Sutherland.
From today, anyone arriving in the NT who since Christmas had visited seven Sydney suburbs — Croydon, Croydon Park, Lilli Pilli, Strathfield, Strathfield North, Strathfield South and Sutherland — must do 14 days of supervised quarantine at facilities in Howard Springs or Alice Springs.
Most of these suburbs are linked to the new Inner West cluster of nine cases.
Anyone already in the Top End who had visited the seven suburbs must
self-isolate and get tested.
Trade wiped out on the northern beaches
Devastated northern beaches business owners say no government support is going to replace nearly 100 per cent of wiped-out Christmas trade but something must be done fast just so they can pay the rent.
And some locals in the locked-down region are still seething that a breach of the state’s hotel quarantine system for overseas travellers will burden their community well into the new year.
Frustration has surfaced within Premier Gladys Berejiklian’s ministry over the restrictions, but on Wednesday she said case numbers vindicated the state government’s position.
“I’ve got the cricket on in the background just to keep me awake,” Mark Smith, manager of the Ocean Master Fish and Chips in Newport said.
“Everyone around here has cancelled their Airbnb … the caravan park’s gone from about 1200 down to 100.
“In the days leading into Christmas, that week was down
98 per cent (on last year).”
Ms Berejiklian floated the idea of financial support for business in the region on Tuesday and Mr Smith said it was about time, given the stay-at-home orders were always going to “shut off 100 per cent of tourists”. “They knew it was coming … put something in place because we’re still talking to the landlord about some sort of rent relief. It’s not his fault, it’s not our fault but it goes up the chain,” he said.
Of the quarantine breach Mr Smith said “one would have hoped they learnt their lessons from Victoria and if they didn’t then somebody has to pay for it”.
Luke Femia, owner of Avalon cafe Chill Bar, had made hundreds of litres of gelato in anticipation for the Christmas holiday rush and ordered big from suppliers in the days before lockdown hit on December 19.
But now his resolve and optimism — 10 days into lockdown and another 12 days before restrictions were due to ease on January 9 — was being tested.
“Everybody is doing the right thing but at the same time it’s hard to take,” Mr Femia said.
“Nobody can help you out like you’ve lost.”
Jah Bar at Dee Why will open its doors for the first time since the day the premier announced the northern beaches lockdowns.
Manager, Chelsea, said any kind of rent subsidy or support for her business would be “amazing”.
“We still have to pay rent. … you don’t get a discount just because you’re not open.”
Families are also ruing the impact of the quarantine breaches on their New Year’s celebrations. The Jones family, who live in North Narrabeen, will be self-isolating along with thousands of other residents living in the northern beaches and watching the New Year’s Eve fireworks on TV.
“It’s been a bit disappointing, but it’s a small price to pay to control this virus,” dad Ross Jones said of the quiet night ahead with wife Sarah and their four kids. “I was hoping we could hang out with friends on New Year’s Eve but again, it’s not a big deal to be in isolation when you look at what could happen if we didn’t take appropriate measures to stop the spread.”
Virus cases rise as new outbreaks emerge
COVID cases in Greater Sydney are beginning to spiral out of control, with the number of people infected in a new and unexplained “Croydon cluster’’ set to grow rapidly.
Reeling from the emergence of the mystery Inner West outbreak of six new cases, the NSW government has tightened restrictions for New Year’s Eve. Household gatherings will be limited to five visitors — including children — down from 10 and outdoor get-togethers will be capped at 30 instead of 50.
NSW Health Minister Brad Hazzard has urged revellers to maintain “a little bit of distance” at New Years Eve celebrations tonight.
“It is more the homes, the restaurants, the clubs and pubs where the disease is spread and we do really need to remember that,” he said on Sunrise this morning.
“There will be people in greater Sydney tonight at restaurants and pubs. My advice to them is to maintain your 1.5m social distancing, clean your hands like there is no tomorrow and definitely don’t get too close to anybody that you don’t know.
“Preferably don’t get too close to anybody because that’s the safest way to be, have a nice night, have a great new year but a little bit of distance can make all the difference.”
He also defended the decision to have the upcoming cricket test match at the SCG.
“The other thing we have to remember is that Dr Kerry Chant has said 1,000 times outdoor ticketed environment where people are seated are among our safest places to be,” he said.
Eighteen new locally acquired coronavirus cases were revealed on Wednesday.
Nine of these were linked to the Avalon cluster and are already in isolation. Three are still under investigation, with the six remaining cases part of the new Croydon cluster.
Those six new infections are from three households in the same extended family.
They had 28 “close contacts” around Christmas, NSW Chief Health Officer Dr Kerry Chant said. She expected to see more cases arise.
The close contacts of the family live throughout Sydney and the original source of the cluster is not known. While infectious, some people in the new cluster visited two venues inside Bankstown Sports Club on December 28 and two salons at Bass Hill Plaza on Christmas Eve. Read the full list of COVID alerts here.
Anyone at these places during times specified on the NSW Health website “must get tested immediately and isolate for 14 days regardless of the result,” the Health Department said. Premier Gladys Berejiklian denied the emergence of the unfolding Croydon outbreak and the tightening of restrictions was evidence that the government’s Christmas gathering rules were poorly set.
But she insisted: “What we don’t want to see are new chains of transmission that we don’t know about.”
Asked by The Daily Telegraph whether it was reasonable for people to be disappointed that the government still had not worked out how the virus escaped into Sydney, the Premier responded: “That’s up to them.”
Of the three cases under investigation, two are from the same Wollongong family.
One of these, a woman in her 50s, visited Buckley’s beer bar at Circular Quay and the open-air cinema at Mrs Macquarie’s Chair on December 17.
The other case still under investigation is a person who visited the northern beaches.
Dr Chant said all residential aged care facilities were being asked to exclude visitors “excepting those performing essential caring functions, and obviously end of life.”
There was however no limit on people from regional NSW visiting residents in regional facilities, she said.
About 17,000 people were tested in the 24-hour period to yesterday. “We do need that number to go higher,” Ms Berejiklian said.
Experts are fearful of the new outbreaks, especially as they coincide with tonight’s festivities.
“I really do worry about New Year’s Eve,” leading epidemiologist Mike Toole said.
“I hope it rains. People should stay home.”
Inner West Council mayor Darcy Byrne also urged revellers to celebrate at home.
“The 31st of December could be the most dangerous day of 2020,” he said.
“It could result in another outbreak of COVID-19.”
Greenwell and Thomas Pharmacy at Katoomba has been identified as a possible transmission site of new cases on December 26 and 27.
Meanwhile, Victoria’s streak of zero community cases came to an end yesterday with three people, all living in different Melbourne suburbs, testing positive.
It came as the Andrews government imposed tighter border controls on NSW.
Calls for accelerated vaccine rollout
Calls are strengthening for an accelerated COVID vaccine rollout, starting with quarantine hotel staff and those driving return international travellers from airports.
Other medical experts say gaps in testing and quarantine systems need to be plugged to provide better protection for frontline workers.
Epidemiologist Mike Toole of Melbourne’s Burnet Institute said the federal government should speed up the rollout, prioritising quarantine hotel workers and those transporting high-risk travellers.
“Those people probably are the most vulnerable,” Prof Toole told The Telegraph.
“I can’t see any reason for not bringing forward the start of the vaccine provided there was adequate supply and proper storage is available.”
Prof Toole also encouraged “ring vaccination” around areas with known clusters.
“But looking at the map in Sydney today I’m not sure where I would start,” he said.
Prof Toole’s comments come after Kirby Institute biosecurity program head Raina McIntyre said Sydney’s outbreak was all the more reason to get the vaccine rolled out as soon as possible rather than sticking to the government’s March delivery plan.
However, it appears unlikely Australia will follow the US, UK and more than 30 other countries embarking on emergency inoculations.
Commonwealth chief medical officer Professor Paul Kelly yesterday said this was because no vaccine had full approval yet and “we don’t have an emergency here”.
“There are no … full approvals yet anywhere in the world for any COVID vaccine,” Prof Kelly said. “The emergency-use authorisation or similar mechanisms that are happening in some parts of the world are exactly that. They are for an emergency use.
“All of those emergency approvals that have happened overseas come with very strict guidelines about who can be given it, what sort of wraparound in terms of safety and so forth and monitoring will happen. So it is a very different process. We don’t have that process in Australia.”
The UK last night gave approval to the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine, which has an efficacy against the virus of up to 90 per cent and is already being produced in Australia with 50 million doses ordered.
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