Rolling coverage: Changes to NSW-Victoria border as Sydney records 10 new cases
A coronavirus cluster in Sydney has spread to the inner-city, while changes to the NSW-Victoria border have been announced.
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A permit system will be introduced from midnight for all NSW residents travelling to Victoria, while NSW health authorities have issued an urgent COVID-19 alert as the northern beaches cluster continues to spread into Sydney’s south and inner city.
Dozens of venues and public transport routes have been identified as places where infected people have been in recent days, including an RSL club, shopping centres and restaurants.
Among the suburbs affected are Bondi Junction, Woolloomoolo and Cronulla.
See the full list of locations.
VICTORIANS TOLD TO SCRAP NSW TRAVEL PLANS
Health minister Martin Foley on Friday urged Victorians to scrap any planned travel to Sydney, warning mandatory 14-day quarantine for entry to Victoria could soon be enforced.
Mr Foley said there was a lot at risk because of the evolving situation in Sydney, and he would not risk Victoria’s clean run of no new cases.
People who have been to the Northern Beaches of Sydney since December 11 will not be granted a permit to travel to Victoria, according to contact tracing chief Jeroen Weimar.
“Anyone who was travelling from the red zones, hotspot locations, from midnight tonight, they will not be entitled or allowed to travel into Victoria,” Mr Weimar said.
Brett Sutton also confirmed a close contact from the Northern Beaches cluster is in Victoria,
The Chief Health Officer told the press conference they had been placed in emergency accommodation through the quarantine program.
“They have not had any symptoms, they have not tested positive to date,” he said.
“That individual self identified, did a fantastic job . . . and said ‘I cannot safely quarantine where I am,’”.
Scott Morrison said he had full confidence in the capacity of NSW to get the outbreak under control.
“They are working around the clock,” the Prime Minister said.
“Our advice is to take heed of the information that is being made available by NSW authorities ... For those in other states, it’s the same rule - follow the advice of local authorities.”
“The virus has not gone away, it’s still there.”
“We’ve dealt with this before, we’ll deal with it again.”
It comes as New South Wales recorded 10 new coronavirus cases taking the Northern Beaches outbreak to 28 as stay at home orders kick in.
The total number of cases includes a resident who travelled from Sydney to Queensland — that case was recorded before 8pm while the other 10 were diagnosed afterwards.
Residents north of Sydney’s Spit Bridge, all the way to Palm Beach, have been warned to stay home as heath authorities race to determine the source of the outbreak.
People in the area have been urged against visiting friends or relatives in aged care facilities or hospitals unless it is essential.
Residents have been urged to avoid unnecessary gatherings, as well as high-risk venues such as clubs and restaurants, and people have been advised to stick to their household group.
“At this time, we request that people from outside the area should avoid unnecessary travel to the Northern Beaches,” a spokesman from NSW Health said.
Premier Gladys Berejiklian has pleaded for a “proportionate” reaction from other states after Tasmania shut borders to some Sydneysiders as a NSW coronavirus cluster grows.
Ms Berejiklian said NSW residents should be allowed to travel to other states despite a growing cluster in Sydney’s northern beaches area that has so far infected 28 people in just a few days.
“I would ask everybody to just have a proportionate response to what’s happening in NSW,” Ms Berejiklian told reporters.
She said it was reasonable for other state leaders to “make provision” for people who had been in hot spots but urged other premiers and chief ministers not to overreact.
“Separating people from their loved ones again, especially as the holidays were approaching, would be “absolute torture,” she said.
“I would ask everybody to have a response that’s measured compared to what’s going on in NSW.”
One of the new cases announced on Friday was a NSW resident who had gone to Queensland before receiving a positive coronavirus test result.
Her plea came after Tasmania declared Sydney’s Northern Beaches Local Government Area high risk.
The alert for the northern beaches applies to those who have been there on or after Friday, December 11.
Several public spaces on Sydney’s northern beaches, including libraries, skate parks and golf courses, will be closed for three days as the council area grapples with the latest outbreak.
Northern Beaches Council issued the advice early on Friday which stated that it had taken “strong measures” to protect the health of the community.
The closure encompasses libraries, aquatic centres, gyms, art galleries and creative spaces, playgrounds, skate parks, tennis courts, golf courses, community centres and several council-run offices.
All spaces will be closed until Monday.
VICTORIA WON’T RULE OUT CLOSING BORDER WITH NSW
Victoria recorded one new coronavirus case in hotel quarantine overnight, but no new local cases.
Anyone who has been in the Northern Beaches area of Sydney since Dec 11 has been advised by Victorian health authorities to stay at home and get tested — and especially avoid visiting aged care facilities and hospitals.
A permit system will now be introduced from midnight for all NSW residents travelling to Victoria.
Victoria closed the border with South Australia at short notice on November 19 when there were 22 cases in an Adelaide cluster.
Other travellers who were in the region since December 11 and arrived in Victoria after midnight last night, must get tested and quarantine in their home or accommodation for 14 days from the date they left the Northern Beaches.
Late on Thursday night the Northern Territory declared the Northern Beaches Council LGA in NSW a hotspot. Anyone who travels to the NT from the hotspot from Friday will need to undertake 14 days of mandatory, supervised quarantine.
Queensland also declared the area a hotspot and said anyone who had been in the area on or since December 11 must get tested. They must also quarantine at home or in accommodation for 14 days from the date they left the Northern Beaches.
And from Saturday people from the hotspot arriving in Queensland will be forced into hotel quarantine at their own expense.
WA announced anyone arriving from NSW into the state from Friday would have to self-quarantine for two weeks.
At least one Victorian, who did not have any symptoms, had contacted the Department Thursday night to say they had been in the hotspot zone.
The Victorian government last night did not rule out closing the border with NSW before Christmas.
“Our public health team is in regular contact with NSW Health and we continue to monitor the situation,” a Victorian government spokeswoman said.
University of Melbourne epidemiologist Tony Blakely said people from the Northern Beaches should be barred from travelling to Victoria.
NSW Health implored residents Northern Beaches residents to stay home, work from home, limit interactions, and avoid travel outside their area.
It’s understood NSW Health suspects the cluster originated from an international source, with a possible leak from hotel quarantine.
Genomic sequencing set to come back on Thursday evening was expected to provide more insight into how the disease was introduced into the community. The Australian Health Protection Principal Committee was due to meet late on Thursday night to discuss the NSW situation.
It is the key decision-making committee for health emergencies and could recommend border closures.
There was a testing blitz in Sydney on Thursday, after five cases were linked back to the Avalon RSL.
It’s not clear how the virus first got into the RSL. It was revealed the cluster had grown to 17 after 12 fresh cases were confirmed on Thursday night.
The outbreak could cause travel chaos for tens of thousands of people crossing the border to reunite with family and friends in the lead-up to Christmas.
About 100 flights between Melbourne and Sydney are scheduled on Friday.
Airlines have advised passengers to check the latest advice from state governments prior to travel.
Virgin Australia said in a statement: “Any impacted customers will be provided with options to rebook on alternative services or be able to obtain a travel credit for use at a later stage.”
Jetstar and Qantas said they were monitoring the evolving situation.
WA HITS NSW TRAVELLERS WITH NEW BORDER RULES
People travelling from Sydney to Perth Thursday afternoon were on the receiving end of some shock news on board as WA changed its quarantine rules for NSW visitors mid-flight.
NSW travellers to WA are now required to self-quarantine under changes that have immediately come into effect following a COVID-19 outbreak in the eastern state.
A cluster in Sydney’s Northern Beaches has now ballooned to 17 cases, prompting WA Premier Mark McGowan to announce the changes on Thursday afternoon.
Effective immediately, anyone who has arrived from NSW since December 11, or was in NSW from December 11 and subsequently arrived in WA, must self-quarantine as soon as possible.
Those people must present for a COVID-19 test in the next 24 hours and will then need to return to self-quarantine until a negative test result is confirmed.
Anyone arriving from Sydney Airport or from another Australian airport having been in NSW on or after December 11 must take a test at Perth Airport on arrival or at another COVID-19 clinic within 24 hours.
They must follow the same self-quarantine requirement until a negative test result is confirmed.
WA Premier Mark McGowan has since announced anyone that arrived in Perth from Sydney since December 11 needs to get a test ASAP and isolate until they get a negative result. https://t.co/NiOfydjZPq
— Bridget Fitzgerald (@msbfitzgerald) December 17, 2020
QLD DECLARES NORTHERN BEACHES A HOT SPOT
Queensland has declared Sydney’s Northern Beaches region a coronavirus hot spot, meaning anyone visiting there must quarantine for 14 days upon entering the Sunshine State.
The edict from the state’s chief health officer Jeannette Young tonight follows the Northern Beaches’ COVID-19 cluster increasing to 17 positive cases.
As a result:
ANYONE who was in the Northern Beaches region on or since Friday 11 December 2020 and is already in Queensland should get tested and quarantine in their home or accommodation for 14 days from the date they left the Northern Beaches.
ANYONE who was in the Northern Beaches region on or since Friday 11 December 2020 and arrives in Queensland on a flight from Sydney after midnight tonight (Thursday 17 December 2020), must get tested and quarantine in their home or accommodation for 14 days from the date they left the Northern Beaches.
ANYONE who was in the Northern Beaches region on or since Friday 11 December 2020 and arrives in Queensland on a flight from Sydney after 1am on Saturday 19 December 2020 must go into hotel quarantine at their own expense for 14 days from the date they left the Northern Beaches, and get tested.
THIS includes both interstate visitors and Queensland residents returning home.
Dr Young said authorities would continue to closely monitor the situation and provide an update tomorrow morning.
NSW RESIDENTS MUST SELF-QUARANTINE IN WA
Anyone arriving from NSW into Western Australia from Friday will have to self-quarantine for two weeks.
Premier Mark McGowan announced the decision following an emergency meeting with senior government figures on Thursday night.
“The state government is taking these important and extra cautious steps, based on the most up-to-date expert health advice,” he said.
Effective from 12.01am Friday, December 18:
ANYONE arriving from New South Wales will now be required to self-quarantine in a suitable premise for 14 days;
THESE arrivals will also be required to be tested for COVID-19 on day 11.
ANYONE who has arrived from NSW from December 11 or was in NSW from December 11 and subsequently arrived in WA before 12.01am Friday, December 18 will be required to follow updated arrangements, which include:
THE requirement to self-quarantine in a suitable premise as soon as possible;
TO PRESENT for a COVID-19 test as soon as possible;
RETURN to self-quarantine until a negative test result is confirmed;
UNDERTAKE a further test on day 11 after arrival in WA.
PARENTS FEAR FOR KIDS’ EDUCATION
Two-thirds of Victorian parents are concerned about their child’s learning after the extended lockdown, a new study has found.
This compares to just 43 per cent of parents in other states, a survey of more than 3000 parents and guardians has found.
The research from the Australian National University found the concerns existed even though 47 per cent of Australians were very satisfied with their child’s educational institution. Forty per cent were somewhat satisfied.
Nicholas Biddle, ANU Professor of Economics and Public Policy, said the differences between Victoria and other states were partly explained by the extended lockdown and increase in parental instruction at home.
“There was still a significant difference in concern for Victorians compared to the rest of Australians,” he said.
“My guess is that Victorian parents also feel that the broader environment — stress and anxiety related to economic and social challenges — also contributed to a greater level of concern.”
Prof Biddle said the findings highlighted “the potential education costs of that second wave, in addition to the social, mental health and economic costs we have previously documented as part of our ongoing COVID monitoring program”.
The study also found concern was greatest among parents and guardians born overseas in a non-English speaking country, those from a low-income household, or those who attended a government secondary school.
Lower-educated parents and guardians, and those with relatively disadvantaged areas were also more likely to say they had to increase their own instruction or resources during the pandemic.
The level of concern did not vary greatly between school sectors.
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