Coronavirus: masking impact of new infection

NSW residents are being urged to wear masks in public for the first time since the pandemic began after the state had 18 new cases of COVID-19 on Saturday.

A confirmed COVID-19 case in the heart of Sydney indicates that the virus has moved far beyond its epicentre at the Crossroads Hotel in the city’s southwest, and possibly into the heavily populated area near Broadway. Picture: AAP

NSW residents are being urged to wear masks in public for the first time since the pandemic began after the state had 18 new cases of COVID-19 on Saturday.

The call to wear masks in public comes as thousands of students prepare to return to school on Monday and with a rising number of cases linked to community transmission, including infections linked to a restaurant in the inner city suburb of Chippendale, and a gym in western Sydney.

PDF: New Sydney coronavirus hotspots

Deputy chief medical officer Jeremy McAnulty called on residents to “redouble their efforts to stop the virus spreading” by wearing masks in public where social distancing is not possible while cases resulting from “community transmission continue to be reported”.

“It wouldn’t take much for us to be in Melbourne’s situation and we need everyone’s assistance,” Dr McAnulty said. “Consider the use of masks in situations where you are unable to social distance.

“Of particular concern is transmission in venues such as hotels and restaurants, the gym and social gatherings.”

A security guard speaks with a driver outside Anglicare Newmarch House agedcare home in Kingswood, near Penrith, NSW. Picture: AAP

NSW Transport Minister Andrew Constance warned commuters to avoid public transport in an effort to reduce the chance of another COVID-19 outbreak.

“The state’s at a critical juncture. There is no room for complacency, in fact, complacency in the middle of this pandemic can kill,” he said.

Among the 18 new infections recorded on Saturday, 13 were locally acquired, including a diner who visited Holy Duck! restaurant in Chippendale on July 10.

A confirmed COVID-19 case in the heart of Sydney indicates that the virus has moved far beyond its epicentre at the Crossroads Hotel in the city’s southwest, and possibly into the heavily populated area near Broadway.

Another of the recently diagnosed cases was a person who visited the Anytime Fitness Gym in Merrylands on July 14.

Mr Constance said commuters should consider walking and cycling in a bid to avoid overcrowding on buses and trains on the first day of the new school term.

“Be very mindful of the inherent risk of commuting (and) if you can work from home please do so,” he said.

“If you can, please re-time your day.”

University of NSW epidemiologist Mary-Louise McLaws said people who travel on public transport should “definitely” be wearing masks, given the rise in infections.

“Everybody getting onto public transport should be wearing face masks,” Professor McLaws said.

Four people who attended the Thai Rock Restaurant in Stockland Mall, Wetherill Park, and a close contact of a case who was there, have also tested positive to COVID-19.

In a more concerning development, contact tracers are so far unable to connect three people who have tested positive, including two in southern Sydney and one in southwestern Sydney, to any identified clusters.

The total number of cases associated with the Crossroads Hotel cluster is 45, including 15 people who attended the hotel and 30 who are linked to the cluster but who did not attend the hotel.

The jump in cases also comes as one church, where scores of people were spotted defying social distancing rules, was temporarily closed because a parishioner tested positive.

The parishioner attended the Our Lady of Lebanon Cathedral at Harris Park on Wednesday and Friday.