Coronavirus alert issued for 40,500 Sydney residents after Covid-19 found in sewage

Tens of thousands of Sydney residents across more than a dozen suburbs are being urged to monitor for Covid-19 symptoms after wastewater testing.

Health authorities have issued an urgent warning for tens of thousands of Sydney residents, after fragments of Covid-19 were found in a sewerage network.

The Homebush network site encompasses about 40,500 people living in Homebush West, Strathfield, Concord West, Sydney Olympic Park, Wentworth Point, Newington, Lidcombe, Homebush, Silverwater, Petersham, Liberty Grove, Rhodes, North Strathfield and Concord.

In a statement, NSW said they were aware of a recent Covid-19 case who had left hotel quarantine and was living in this catchment, but urged everyone in the area to be “vigilant” in monitoring their symptoms.

NSW Health is urging residents near Homebush to monitor for Covid-19 symptoms after fragments of the virus were found in the sewerage system. Picture: David Crosling

“People who have recently recovered from Covid-19 can continue to shed virus fragments into the sewerage system for several weeks even after they are no longer infectious,” a NSW Health spokesperson said.

“Nonetheless, NSW Health is asking everyone in the area to be vigilant in monitoring for symptoms, and if they appear get tested and isolate immediately until they receive a negative result.”

It comes as NSW Health “strongly advise” against all non-essential travel to Victoria, as the southern state enters a seven day “circuit-breaker” lockdown to curb widespread Covid-19 transmission.

More than 17, Picture: NCA NewsWire / Gaye Gerard

Health authorities are continuing to ask people who had been in Victoria since May 12 and had visited any of the venues of concern to contact them.

“NSW Health is grateful for those contacts who have contacted us so far,” the spokesperson said.

“Twenty-eight close contacts in NSW who attended venues of concern in Victoria have returned negative results. These people will isolate for 14 days from their exposure date and will be tested again before the end of their isolation period.”

Three new cases were detected in hotel quarantine in NSW in the last 24 hours, and 17,593 tests were carried out.