As the day unfolded: Sydney’s northern beaches to go into lockdown as COVID-19 cluster grows larger; NSW remains on high alert

Thanks for keeping up with all of today's COVID-19 action, certainly lots to absorb. This is Jenny Noyes signing off blogging duties. Before I do, here's a recap of what we learned today:

• Premier Gladys Berejiklian announced the northern beaches will be locked down from 5pm Saturday until midnight Wednesday. That means residents cannot go out except for essential activity (work, exercise, shopping for essentials, compassionate grounds).
• Greater Sydney isn't locking down yet – but the Premier has asked residents to "please" cancel plans and stay home, and flagged possible restrictions from tomorrow depending on what happens today.
• There were 13 new cases from testing in the 24 hours to 8pm yesterday among a total of 23 (10 had already been reported on Friday).
• The Avalon cluster has grown to 38, with 21 out of yesterday's 23 cases linked to it and another two still under investigation.
• All but a handful of the cases in Avalon have been linked to two venues: the Avalon RSL and Bowlo. The Anytime Fitness gym in Avalon is emerging as another potential key site after a patron visited several times while infectious this week.
• Queensland has brought border passes back into effect, and people from Greater Sydney and Central Coast will be asked to test on arrival and isolate until a negative result is achieved. Arrivals from the northern beaches must quarantine for 14 days.
• In Victoria, the northern beaches remains a "red zone" and authorities are watching closely to determine whether the rest of Greater Sydney will be reclassified the same. People from "red zones" are warned not to enter Victoria unless they're planning on spending Christmas in hotel quarantine.

Hobart, Tasmania: Here in the Apple Isle, COVID-19 is barely affecting people’s lives despite Sydney’s northern beaches outbreak.

Except for the inconvenience of having to sign in to venues like clubs, life has been close to normal for some time now. And in most cases, only one member of a group is required to register their contact details when signing in.

Late this week, the state banned arrivals at Hobart Airport who reside in or have recently visited Sydney’s northern beaches. Then, on Saturday at 5pm, the state declared Greater Sydney medium risk effective from midnight, meaning anyone who arrives from the area that houses 4.8 million has to quarantine for 14 days.

Those who already arrived prior to this time have been told to monitor for symptoms.

Meanwhile, the Sydney to Hobart yacht race looks certain to be called off or postponed.

At Hobart Airport, staff from the government’s health department greeted visitors on Friday by taking their temperatures and photos and showing them a map of the northern beaches to ask if they had been near the area.

Social distancing was not a priority at In The Hanging Garden's courtyard in Hobart.  Credit: Ben Grubb

Additionally, officials provided travellers a list of recent NSW COVID-19 exposure locations to ask if they’d been to any of them.

Licences were not checked for residential addresses on Friday and visitors were encouraged to sign up for a QR code border pass before entry, whereby details containing their address and risk factor can be entered (but which aren’t verified with identity documents).

COVID testing remains low in Tasmania. On Friday, just 184 tests were conducted in a population of 540,600, equating to just 0.034 per cent of Tasmanians getting tested.

Just last weekend, Tasmanians were able to legally dance again, although reports from club attendees the Herald spoke to suggest some venues along the capital’s Salamanca strip were allowing patrons to dance illegally long before restrictions were eased.

In one instance, the Herald was told of a club’s security guards allowing attendees to dance and then wolf-whistling at people to wrap it up whenever police were nearby to inspect.

Not since August 11 has there been a recorded case of coronavirus community transmission, which came about when a man in his 60s returned to the state’s north-west after receiving medical treatment in Melbourne.

There have, however, been positive hotel quarantine cases after international flights arrived.

When the man returned from Melbourne, he was receiving treatment at North West Regional Hospital in Burnie, the centre of an outbreak in April which was found to have started after people from the Ruby Princess cruise ship were admitted in late March.

When it comes to cafes, venues are meant to ask patrons to sign in, but in multiple instances, the Herald was not asked to provide details.

Some venues have a physical sign-in book, while others offer very little in the way of registration.

At one cafe in Rosny Park’s Eastlands shopping centre, a staff member said “don’t worry” when asked if sign-in was necessary after dining for longer than 15 minutes.

No QR code or sign in book was available. Tasmania has a check-in app available for free use by venues.

Meanwhile, social distancing was nowhere to be seen as patrons flocked to multiple venues along Salamanca on Friday night as Tasmanians descended on the city for “cage night”, otherwise known as builders’ break-up or the last Friday before Christmas drinks, one of Hobart's biggest nights of the year.

On the night, venues placed barricades around venues to manage safety and venue capacity limits, and to prevent people from entering outdoor areas without registering their details.

One bar called In The Hanging Garden was packed, as was Grape Food and Wine Bar.

The Herald attended Grape for fewer than 5 minutes, witnessing hundreds of people dancing without room to move comfortably. Patrons needed to push their way through the crowd in order to move or exit the venue.

Another bar and club in the city’s centre, Ivory Lounge Bar, also allowed dancing but patrons were able to move more freely about without pushing.

The northern beaches is now locked down. As of 5pm, everyone living north of The Spit has reverted to the same restrictions the rest of Sydney experienced in March.

That means only leaving your home if it is for essential purposes such as for work, for compassionate grounds, for exercise or to go shopping. The lockdown will last until midnight Wednesday.

An empty Newport Beach on Saturday.Credit: Nick Moir

The northern beaches lockdown started at 5pm. Credit: Nick Moir

A Manly playground on Saturday.Credit: Renee Nowytarger

NSW Health has added more venues to the list of COVID-19 contacts.

Anyone who has attended the Sunset Diner, 41 Old Barrenjoey Road, Avalon Beach on Friday, December 11 from 6.30pm to 8pm is considered a close contact and should get tested and isolate for 14 days even if they receive a negative result:

Anyone who attended Café Relish, 8/1 North Avalon Road, Avalon Beach on Thursday, December 17 from 10.30am to 11.30am is considered a casual contact and should get tested immediately and isolate until they receive a negative result:

People who visited the following venues at the below times should get tested immediately and self-isolate until NSW Health provides further information:

• Fitness First Mona Vale, Pittwater Place Shopping Centre, 10 Park Street Mona Vale: Sunday, December 13, 2pm to 4pm and Monday, December 14, 10.30am to 12.30am and Wednesday, December 16, 8.30pm to 10pm
• 4 Pines, Newport, 313 Barrenjoey Road, Newport: Tuesday, December 16, 6pm to 10pm

The Sydney Kings and the Hawks will play their pre-season game on Sunday in Sydney but do so behind closed doors.

The Hawks and the Sydney Kings will play behind closed doors on Sunday. Credit: Getty

The two clubs and the NBL announced on Saturday that tickets would be refunded for those who were planning to go to Qudos Bank Arena for the game. They have also moved the game to 5pm AEDT so it doesn’t clash with the WNBL grand final between Southside Flyers in Townsville at 3pm AEST.

WNBL players and Opals coach Sandy Brondello called for the NBL to move the game earlier this week to avoid the clash with the WNBL grand final.

NBL Commissioner Jeremy Loeliger said the league would follow health advice and both teams would continue to follow NBL and NSW Health COVID-19 protocols.

"Like we did with the preseason game in Perth on Thursday night, we will follow the advice of the health authorities and the advice at this stage is that tomorrow’s game can go ahead behind closed doors," Loeliger said.

"But we will continue to monitor the situation closely. The game has also been moved to 5pm AEDT so it starts after the completion of the WNBL grand final in Townsville."

The Kings-Hawks game will be live-streamed free on NBL TV and the NBL’s Facebook, Twitter, You Tube and Twitch accounts.

Concerningly today during a visit to Coles Newport, a confirmed COVID-19 venue, several staff members were not wearing masks.

Staff members at Coles in Newport not wearing masks. Credit: Nick Moir

Several customers complained to the manager on Saturday morning and were told that masks were "not mandatory" and that he couldn't make his staff wear them.

Customers, however, were advised to wear masks and sanitise their hands on entry.

Customers at Coles in Newport were concerned to see staff without masks on Saturday. Credit: Nick Moir

The supermarket was one of a string of venues listed on Friday as having casual contact status, with any customers who visited between 5pm and 7pm on December 11 or 3.15 and 3.30pm on December 12 advised to get tested immediately and isolate until they receive a negative result.

West Australian heath authorities are not making any immediate adjustments to the border restrictions imposed on travellers from NSW but warned that could change if the Sydney cluster grows worse.

WA Health Minister Roger Cook said the government had identified several additional travellers from the NSW 'red zones' who had arrived in WA since December 11 but that none of them had tested positive.

"I must stress that this situation could change and it could change at any time," Mr Cook said.

"There will be another meeting of the chief health officers this afternoon and will take further advice after this meeting. I know this makes it difficult for people but we need to be extremely cautious.

"The situation in Sydney is very fluid and potentially wide across greater Sydney and beyond. We will continue to monitor the situation closely and we will do whatever is needed to keep Western Australia safe."

WA has not had a case of community spread of the coronavirus in the state for more than 250 days.

Mr Cook announced that no positive results have been found to date in those NSW arrivals tested.

West Australia reported one new case of COVID-19 in the state – a traveller in hotel quarantine.

Narrabeen North public school was closed on Friday afternoon after a staff member tested positive to COVID-19.

In a statement on Saturday, the NSW Department of Education said it was working closely with NSW "to ensure the health and safety of all students and staff is maintained. This work has included identifying close contacts of the confirmed case and communicating directly with them regarding their requirement to self-isolate.

Close contacts "have been notified and asked to self-isolate for the required period," the statement said.

"The school is being thoroughly cleaned and will be available to our community users once this has been completed."

Queensland has clamped down on anyone heading into the state from NSW, with border passes to come back into effect as part of the restrictions in response to the Northern Beaches coronavirus outbreak.

Speaking with reporters, Health Minister Yvette D’Ath said as of 1am on Sunday, December 20, anyone coming into Queensland from NSW will need a border pass, which they can apply to get from 8pm on Saturday.

Anyone coming from Sydney's northern beaches will need an exemption to come into Queensland and even then, they will need to go into hotel quarantine.

Any returning Queensland residents who visited the northern beaches on or after December 11 will also need to go into 14-day hotel quarantine.

Anyone from the NSW Central Coast or Greater Sydney area will be asked to get tested upon arrival in Queensland and isolate until they receive a negative result.

Ms D'Ath said there will not be hard border checkpoints reinstated on the Queensland borders, but police will be doing random audits at the border crossings.

"This is about making sure we keep all Queenslanders safe while people travel around all the Christmas holidays," she said.

Western Australia and Queensland are giving updates on their respective COVID-19 situations from 2.30pm. You can watch either one (or both!) below.

Here's Queensland:

Here's Western Australia: