NSW records 16 new virus cases with several linked to superspreader party

Another 16 Covid infections have been diagnosed in NSW with half linked to a party in Sydney’s western suburbs.

NSW has recorded 16 new cases of Covid-19, with several of those linked to a superspreader birthday party in Sydney’s western suburbs.

Ten cases were recorded before the 8pm cut off but seven were already reported so only three are considered new infections, while another 13 were diagnosed after 8pm.

Of the 13 new cases which will be recorded in tomorrow’s numbers, eight attended the birthday party in West Hoxton, NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian said.

A previously reported case, believed to be a worker from Bondi Junction, was at the same party.

“About 30 people attended this party and they have all been tested and are in isolation,” NSW Health said in a statement.

NSW chief health officer Dr Kerry Chant said the infectious person who attended the party did not have any symptoms, hadn’t attended venues of concern and had no idea they had contracted the virus.

They developed symptoms the next day and immediately got tested.

“Can I just applaud the cooperation that the group has undertaken. All of them promptly went and got tested, all of them promptly isolated,” Dr Chant said.

NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian addresses the media. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Gaye Gerard

A two-year-old child who attended the party has also tested positive.

This case triggered an alert at a daycare centre 60km southwest of Sydney.

Little Zak’s Academy at Narellan Vale issued an email alert late on Tuesday declaring a positive case visited the centre.

“It has come to our attention from the NSW Health Department and Liverpool Health that we have a confirmed Covid-19 case from one of our children in our centre that attended yesterday (Monday),” the centre said in an email sent to parents.

The child was in room ‘2-3’ between 9am and 5.15pm.

Little Zak’s Academy CEO Richard Bell told NCA NewsWire the health department notified them of the positive case at 4.45pm on Tuesday.

“By 6pm the centre was closed and our Covid action plan was put in place,” he said.

A total of 10 infections are now linked to the party and 37 infections are associated with the Bondi outbreak.

Meanwhile, one of the cases is a person who was in the same waiting room as a previously known case and four are under investigation “but all are in close proximity to the southwest Sydney cluster”, the premier explained.

NSW recorded 10 locally acquired cases of COVID-19 in the 24 hours to 8pm last night, seven of which were already announced yesterday morning.

NSW Health has also been notified of 13 new locally acquired cases overnight. These cases will be included in tomorrow's numbers. pic.twitter.com/OFxWSq0ocb

— NSW Health (@NSWHealth) June 23, 2021

Of the 10 cases reported to 8pm Tuesday, seven were already known and include a Year 3 student from St Charles Catholic Primary School in Waverley.

The three further cases include a man in his 50s who works in Bondi Junction and a woman in her 40s from Wollongong who is a close contact of a previously reported case and has been in isolation while infectious.

The third case is a man in his 30s from southwest Sydney. He is also a close contact of a previously reported case.

The spike in cases triggered a spate of restrictions including banning residents from seven LGAs from leaving the city ahead of the school holiday period.

Masks are now mandatory everywhere including in workplaces.

Ms Berejiklian said people who live or work in the seven affected local government areas – City of Sydney, Waverley, Randwick, Canada Bay, Inner West, Bayside and Woollahra – “cannot travel outside Sydney” unless they are “visiting a relative in care or have to go to work”.

Deep cleaners commence work at St Charles Catholic Primary School at Waverly in Sydney. Picture: NCA NewsWire/Joel Carrett

“So unless it is essential travel, you should not be going outside metropolitan Sydney for the next week, and we apologise in advance that this impacts some people’s ability to travel during the school holidays,” she said.

No more than 20 people can dance at weddings and the one person per four square metre rule is also being reintroduced for all indoor and outdoor settings, including weddings and funerals.

Gyms have a 20 person per class limit and masks are required.

“(What) we are putting in place now is to prevent us having to take further action,” Ms Berejiklian said.

“What is important at this stage is for all our citizens to be aware of the basic things (we) have put in place and we trust our citizens to follow everything and trust people to exercise common sense.

“Please abandon non-essential activities, please don't attend social gatherings unless you absolutely must.”

The restrictions will remain in place from 4pm Wednesday for one week.