Coronavirus NSW: Scott Morrison’s border warning; state records 3 new COVID cases
NSW recorded three new COVID cases yesterday as police praised Sydneysiders who heeded advice to stay home and usher in 2021. It comes as the government’s QR code became mandatory for all businesses.
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NSW has recorded three new COVID cases yesterday, all three in western Sydney, two from the same household.
NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian said all three are under investigation.
“We are really keen to make sure that everybody in the Greystanes, Auburn and Lidcombe areas comes forward to get testing even if it is the mildest of symptoms,” she said.
More than 32,000 tests were conducted in the latest reporting period.
So far none are linked to the northern beaches cluster or associated with the family outbreak in Croydon.
Chief Medical Officer Dr Kerry Chant said all three cases were men who were known to each other.
“None of these three cases are currently linked to the Avalon cluster which now numbers 146,” she said.
She added that further testing proved the Inner West cluster was linked to the Northern Beaches cluster.
“The genomic sequencing result came back late yesterday, and what that showed is the Croydon cluster is linked to the Avalon cluster and the two cases recorded in Wollongong are also linked to the Avalon cluster. So all those cases are linked.”
Dr Chant said there were a number of venues in Western Sydney where the three men visited recently. See the full list of venue alerts here.
NSW PRAISED FOR NYE EFFORTS
The majority of NSW did the right thing to stop the spread of COVID on New Year’s Eve, ringing in 2021 without the usual singing, dancing and midnight kiss.
Residents listened to Premier Gladys Berejiklian’s stern warning to avoid mingling outside of your household ahead of the typically raucous evening.
Just 5000 people entered the “green zone” in Sydney’s CBD to watch the spectacular seven-minute firework display, compared to the usual one million who flock to the area.
Scenes of an empty harbourside in Sydney were in striking contrast to other cities’ celebrations.
Hundreds of mostly maskless partygoers packed St Kilda beach and Federation Square in Melbourne, while alcohol-fuelled violence marred Brisbane’s Thursday night.
A person was stabbed during a huge street brawl in Brisbane’s south and multiple people fell from balconies, including one man in regional QLD’s Tamborine and another in city suburb St Lucia.
Ms Berejiklian thanked Sydney residents for their “respect”: “Can I thank everybody for their respect, we need that to continue, especially in the next few weeks when all of us are on high alert”.
Chief Health Officer Kerry Chant said the rules in place over New Year’s was a necessary step to stop the virus spread.
“The singing, dancing, the mingling... I know they are enjoyable and I sound like a little bit of a party pooper, but they really do allow the mixing of groups. So the more seated dining where we can minimise any interactions between social groups, that is the best setting we can have for a COVID response,” Ms Chant said.
Police were kept busy in the suburbs with 219 arrests and 290 charges laid for various offences, much more than the 35 people arrested and 43 charged last year.
This included a huge Villawood party with a bunch of fireworks that was broken up by the riot squad.
Five commercial businesses were fined $5000 each and seven individuals were issued with $1000 COVID fines.
Up to 30 more could be penalised as officers investigate an Airbnb party in the Hills District.
Police Assistant Commissioner Mick Willing said they were “generally pleased” with behaviour on the night, except for the few “reckless” ones.
“The behaviour by and large was very good across the board and people did adhere to our request to restrict their travel and not come into the CBD,” Assistant Commissioner Willing said.
“It was still disappointing to see some people being reckless and disregarding the rules, with police in the suburbs kept busy dispersing congregations, giving move-on directions and seizing illicit fireworks.
“I would like to thank those members of the community who made their plans COVID-safe and celebrated the beginning of 2021 responsibly.”
Residents have also listened to Ms Chant’s advice to get tested, with the number of swabs taken in the past 24 hours more than doubling from the 15,364 earlier this week, increasing to 32,010.
Supermarkets were busy with masked shoppers on Thursday, as people stocked up ahead of the Friday public holiday.
PM’S WARNING ON BORDER WARS
Prime Minister Scott Morrison has suggested he wants “greater consistency” when it comes to border closures, but stopped short of criticising state premiers who have slammed their borders shut in recent days.
He warned states must balance “the risk of COVID and its transmission against the disruption to people”, stressing that leaders have to explain and be accountable for those decisions to the public.
On Thursday a flurry of new restrictions were announced, among them South Australia and Victoria shutting out all of NSW and Western Australia closing its border to Victorians.
The eleventh hour decisions, which saw thousands fleeing NSW in bids to avoid 14 days of quarantine, were made as Victoria recorded eight locally transmitted cases over two days following the significant outbreak on Sydney’s Northern Beaches.
In Western Australia, about 16,000 Victorians who had arrived in the state since Monday were suddenly forced into self-isolation.
In a press conference, Mr Morrison did not openly criticise the decisions made by state premiers.
But he singled out jurisdictions that have not shut out entire states for praise.
He mentioned Queensland, Tasmania and the Northern Territory for their approach, which requires those who have been to NSW hot spots to quarantine but allows entry for other NSW residents.
None have closed to Victoria.
VICTORIANS BRING COVID TO SOUTH COAST
It’s also been revealed two Victorians with the virus travelled to the NSW South Coast two days ago.
They had dinner at the Great Southern Hotel in Eden from 5pm-6:30pm and the venue has been contacted and contact tracing is under way.
“We are asking people to get tested and isolate and public health will provide further updated advice as we understand the nature of exposures that occurred at that venue,” she said.
She also said the cases ate at Bermi’s cafe in Bermagui, from 9pm-10pm on December 31.
MANDATORY QR CODE FOR BUSINESSES
Meanwhile businesses in New South Wales must adopt the government’s QR code today or face heavy fines.
Previously organisations were allowed to use different sign-in methods to collect customer details, but from today all must adopt the Service NSW QR code.
Police Minister David Elliot said it will ultimately make things easier for contact tracers.
“This is seen as best practice,” he said on 2GB. “It is consistent and it allows the government to maintain social tracing program.”
Businesses which don’t comply will be slugged with a $5,000 fine.
The move comes after police fined seven people for breaching social distancing protocol on New Year’s Eve.
NSW Police Assistant Commissioner Mick Willing said officers had found most people abiding by the restrictions, with only a small handful of infringement notices issued for health order breaches.
Seven people were given $1000 fines and five businesses were handed $5000 fines.
He said a small number of people attended Sydney’s foreshore as midnight approached, but were quickly moved on.
“By and large they found most people were abiding by orders. Where they weren’t, warnings were issued and we found almost everyone complied with those warnings,” he said.
Illegal backyard fireworks were heard going off on Sydney’s northern beaches, currently grappling with a 144-person COVID-19 cluster and a stay-at-home order that will linger in some suburbs until at least January 9.
There were similar scenes in western Sydney with fireworks set off.
Just after midnight riot squad members attended Villawood to break up an illegal firework display. Police made 219 arrests and laid 290 charges for various offences during the evening.
STATES SHUT BORDERS TO NSW
Sydneysiders have been effectively shut-out from the nation as states toughen their borders with NSW over the ongoing pre-Christmas outbreak of COVID-19 on the Northern Beaches.
South Australia and Victoria announced yesterday they will close their border with NSW as the state recorded 10 new coronavirus cases.
Tens of thousands of Victorian holiday-makers in NSW must rush home, get tested and quarantine at home ahead of the Andrews government shutting the border to the northern state.
Anyone entering Victoria from NSW after 11.59pm on January 1 will be forced into 14 days’ hotel quarantine.
SA said its hard border closure to NSW would come into effect as the clock ticks over into 2021.
Victorians also face a race to get home or risk getting trapped in NSW after the state declared it will shut the border from 11.59pm on January 1.
It comes after new locally transmitted cases emerged in Victoria after a 61-day COVID-19 free streak.
Eight cases have been recorded over the past two days, with more than 70 close contacts now in isolation.
The first three cases were all linked to a Thai restaurant where a NSW returned traveller had also been.
Western Australia has already shut its border to NSW travellers, but on Thursday said it will close to Victorians too after new COVID-19 cases emerged in the southeastern state.
LATEST ON NORTHERN BEACHES RESTRICTIONS
The NSW State Government announced a string of new rules.
From New Year’s Eve in Sydney (including Wollongong, Central Coast and Blue Mountains) the following will apply:
* Household gatherings will be limited to 5 visitors (including children).
* The limit for outdoor gatherings will be reduced from 50 to 30.
Restrictions for the northern zone of the Northern Beaches remain the same but for the southern zone of the Northern Beaches the following will now apply;
* Household gatherings will be limited to 5 visitors from within your zone (including children).
These changes come into effect from midnight on December 30 and will be in place until further notice.
Hospitality venues will remain open but must adhere to the one person per four square metres rule.
Council events may continue but they must be controlled and seated with no mingling, and record keeping requirements must be strictly adhered to.
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