Sydney’s northern beaches should be in lockdown after ‘explosive’ coronavirus cluster found, expert says
Sydney’s northern beaches should be put into lockdown one expert says, as the cluster could risk Australia’s Christmas plans.
Just seven days out from Christmas, a serious coronavirus outbreak is threatening the outlook for a safe festive season with one expert saying NSW should be doing more to get on top of the risk.
Melbourne University epidemiologist Professor Tony Blakely told news.com.au that Sydney’s northern beaches should be in lockdown rather than being subject to soft stay-at-home orders.
The area is at the centre of a large outbreak with at least 28 cases discovered since Thursday.
NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian has asked residents of the northern beaches to stay at home for three days. Those who attended specific venues including Avalon RSL and Avalon Bowlo are being asked to get tested for COVID-19 and to self-isolate for 14 days.
“I stress to everybody in and around Avalon and the northern beaches that for the next three days you shouldn’t leave your home unless absolutely necessary,” she told reporters today.
“If we get on top of this in the next two or three days all of us will be able to have a better Christmas.
“If we don’t get on top of it, it could mean further restrictions down the track.”
However, Prof Blakely believes northern beaches residents should already be under stage 3 or stage 4 restrictions.
“The northern beaches should be under firm stay-at-home orders or lockdown,” he said.
“It’s just too explosive with Christmas coming up, Sydney needs to protect itself.”
Prof Blakely believes there should also be mandatory masks for those living in the Greater Sydney region.
“I don’t understand this laissez faire attitude,” he said.
“NSW has managed to use contact tracing to keep cases under control and it has impressed everybody but this does look far more explosive and it’s coming into Christmas.
“This is a level of concern higher than anything we’ve seen before in NSW for the last four to five months so I think the precautions should be more stringent.”
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NSW NEEDS TO ‘DIG DEEPER’
Ms Berejiklian has asked Sydneysiders to reconsider social events and to wear masks on public transport or during high risk activities but it is not compulsory.
“Nobody should be getting on public transport without wearing a mask, nobody in Greater Sydney should be going to a supermarket or a place of worship, or other high risk areas without wearing a mask,” she said.
“I know that there are a lot of Christmas parties on at this time, a lot of social gatherings, please consider what is essential and if you are going to continue these activities … please be extra COVID safe.”
This close to Christmas and with people moving around more and dropping their guard around family and friends, Prof Blakely believes this is not enough.
“Because all the states and territories have got rid of it and we all want to have a clean Christmas, I do think NSW needs to dig deeper into the toolbox,” he said.
“There is too much risk with Christmas coming up and I don’t understand why there aren’t mandatory masks and why stay-at-home orders aren’t stronger in the northern beaches.”
Prof Blakely pointed out that NSW also had a responsibility to the rest of the country to ensure the outbreak was contained.
“Yes it’s a pain for people in the hot spot but it’s what Victoria did – we took the responsibility of taking one for Australia, it’s just the way it works,” he said.
“It’s also important to note that Australia is going to have a Christmas that is better than 98 per cent of the world so we are complaining about something at the better end of the spectrum,” he said.
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NEXT FEW DAYS WILL BE CRUCIAL
Unfortunately, Prof Blakely doesn’t think things will go back to normal on the northern beaches after three days.
“They will likely have a continuing soft lockdown or stronger restrictions,” he said.
Prof Blakely said it was still too early to tell whether restrictions would be lifted by Christmas Day.
Asked whether NSW could manage the outbreak without having to introduce a lockdown Prof Blakely said anything was possible but with the Christmas period coming up, it was more risky.
“You do have a band that appears to have done many gigs in Sydney and has seen cases flare up in the northern beaches but it could also flare up in other areas,” he said.
The fact that contact tracers have not identified the source of the infection also makes it harder for authorities to lock down all potential contacts.
Prof Blakely said other states were already starting to block northern beaches residents from entering and this was exactly what you would expect and encourage.
“It’s entirely appropriate,” he said. “The question is whether they ban purely the hot spot or the whole metropolitan area or the whole state.”
“Personally a hot spot ban on arrivals on the northern beaches seems prudent to me but that could change dramatically in the next 24 hours if a cluster of cases if found in south Sydney for example,” he said.
“Things could change dramatically in the next 48 hours.”
charis.chang@news.com.au | @charischang2
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