Coronavirus: Hills residents advised to mask up at shopping centres as cases rise
Health experts are advising people to wear a face mask in shopping centres as coronavirus cases in Sydney continue to rise.
Hills Shire
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The number of active coronavirus cases in The Hills local government area has increased by one from last week as local doctors urge people to wear masks in public.
For the postcode 2155 (Kellyville, Kellyville Ridge and Beaumont Hills ) there are two active cases.
For the postcode 2153 (Baulkham Hills, Bella Vista and Crestwood) there are four active cases.
All the cases have a known source.
The new case this week comes from the Kellyville area.
Last Thursday (July 24) Kellyville Village confirmed a child who had tested positive for coronavirus had visiting the busy shopping centre on Saturday, July 18 between 10am and 10.30am.
That same week Stockland Mall in Baulkham Hills confirmed a worker had tested positive at the clothing store Millers. The staff member worked on Sunday, July 12 and Tuesday, July 14.
Both shopping centres are open and trading as normal after undergoing deep cleans.
Castle Hill GP Dr Annemarie Christie said people should wear masks in shopping centres.
“It is impossible to ensure 1.5m distance in a shopping centre at all times,” Dr Christie said.
“Our shopping centres are very busy and there is little regard for social distancing.”
She also advised people to wear a mask on public transport and if they are in situations where they are unable to be 1.5m apart.
“NSW are doing their best to keep us safe but we also need to take responsibility for our individual actions,” she said.
Dr Sharon Muir from the Riverstone Respiratory Clinic backed that advice saying people should be wearing masks in shopping centres.
The Riverstone clinic is Sydney’s northwest is testing 150 people on average a day, most who have minor symptoms.
“Everybody has come back negative except for one case last week which was linked to a known outbreak,” Dr Muir said.
Anybody who displays symptoms of coronavirus (fever, sore or scratchy throat, shortness of breadth and loss of taste or smell) is being urged to get tested and self-isolate as NSW hits what Premier Gladys Berejiklian describes as a “critical” point in the fight against the pandemic.
There are a number of testing facilities in The Hills.
These include:
Bella Vista Clinical Labs Pathology: 14 Lexington Drive, Bella Vista
Carlingford Drive Through Clinic: 71 Murray Farm Road, Carlingford
Quakers Hill Drive Through Clinic: 6 Melrose Avenue, Quakers Hill
Windsor Douglass Hanly Moir Pathology: 2 Day Street, Windsor
Windsor Respiratory Clinic: 6 Kable Street, Windsor
For more details on testing clinics click here.