A rapidly developing coronavirus outbreak in Sydney has grown by 15 new cases, down from 30 the previous day, as health authorities rush to figure out how the virus entered the community.
There are now at least 83 cases linked to the Northern Beaches cluster, NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian told reporters on Monday, as residents of Greater Sydney and the Central Coast came under new health orders just days before Christmas.
The new cases, all linked to the Northern Beaches cluster, were recorded in the 24 hours to 8pm on Sunday night as a record-breaking 38,000 people came forward for testing.
“Our continued hard effort is required to make sure that we continue that downward trend,” Ms Berejiklian said on Monday. “But as we know in a pandemic, things can be volatile and can move quickly.”
Ms Berejiklian said she was pleased with Monday’s case numbers, but it was too early to tell whether NSW residents would be able to celebrate with their families on Christmas.
“Unfortunately, one day’s results doesn’t tell us it’s a trend,” she said. “If we see the trend continue in the next few days, obviously that will give us more confidence … but it is very volatile, so we need to make sure that we leave it to the last possible moment before we make a decision.”
A number of confirmed cases visited locations outside of the Northern Beaches while infectious, NSW Chief Medical Officer Kerry Chant said, including the Turramurra Salon for Hair, which has had five cases linked to the location, and the Rose of Australia hotel in Erskineville, where two cases have been confirmed.
Anyone who visited the hair salon at any time between 15 and 18 December and the hotel on the evening of 15 December between 7pm and 9pm are being told to immediately self-isolate and come forward for testing. A full list of locations visited by confirmed cases is being updated on the NSW Health website.
“We have had a number of clusters that have risen outside, all linked, can I stress, all linked to the Avalon cluster at this point, but what we want to do is make sure that there is no further spread from those clusters outwards,” Dr Chant said.
“Whilst we have a strong focus on the Northern Beaches, it is important that we have no complacency across the Greater Sydney region, but in particular, that complacency must not exist across the whole of NSW.”
Health authorities currently suspect the source of the outbreak could have been a woman from the United States after genome sequencing confirmed similarities between the strains of the virus, however, Dr Chant said it wasn’t a “perfect match”.
An “extensive investigation” is continuing to determine how the virus could have escaped quarantine to enter the community, which has included monitoring CCTV footage and the testing of any workers who came in contact with the woman.
“This strain may well be present in other people that have come from the United States, so our investigations are broad spread,” she said.
Northern Beaches residents are subject to lockdown conditions until midnight on Wednesday, meaning people are only able to leave their home to exercise, shop for essential goods, attend education or work, or for caregiving or health reasons.
Throughout the wider Sydney, Blue Mountains and Central Coast regions, new health orders have limited home gatherings to 10 guests.
Restrictions for indoor venues and places of worship have reverted to four-square-metre physical distancing requirement and indoor gatherings must be capped at 300 people. Dancing, singing, and chanting has also been limited to five people in places of worship.
The orders will remain in force until the end of the Northern Beaches lockdown period on Wednesday night.
Health authorities have also “strongly recommended” all people in NSW wear a mask when in indoor areas, including shopping centres, supermarkets, public transport, healthcare facilities and aged care settings.
“If you’re catching public transport, you need to be wearing a mask. If you’re going grocery shopping or indoor shopping in a mall or anywhere else, you need to be wearing a mask,” Ms Berejiklian said.
“Because Health still doesn’t know the intermediary case and where the source in the community is, we have to be as vigilant as ever.”
Meanwhile, all other states and territories have imposed travel restrictions on anyone who has recently been in Greater Sydney, introducing permit systems and compulsory supervised quarantine.
People in Australia must stay at least 1.5 metres away from others. Check your jurisdiction’s restrictions on gathering limits. If you are experiencing cold or flu symptoms, stay home and arrange a test by calling your doctor or contact the Coronavirus Health Information Hotline on 1800 020 080.
News and information is available in 63 languages at sbs.com.au/coronavirus.
Please check the relevant guidelines for your state or territory: NSW, Victoria, Queensland, Western Australia, South Australia, Northern Territory, ACT, Tasmania.
