NSW has recorded 10 new coronavirus cases, including five linked to the Avalon cluster and three linked to the Croydon cluster.
The five in the Avalon cluster are close contacts of previous cases, taking the total for that cluster to 144.
One locally-acquired case is a close contact of one of the two patient transport drivers reported previously.
Another case, from western Sydney, remains under investigation.
NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian has urged the public to maintain common sense as New Year’s Eve celebrations get under way.
“In 2021, we are all hoping it will be easier than 2020 and let’s start off the year on a positive foot, by respecting the restrictions that are in place, but also demonstrating common sense,” she said during her Thursday press conference. “Good government policy and restrictions doesn’t cover every situation and every single venue and every single circumstance.”
She also stressed that numbers will continue to “bounce around” over the coming days.
“What is really important is for all of us to do everything we can to reduce our mobility, to reduce the number of people that we’re mixing with and to make sure that we stick to the rules and the health advice that’s been provided.”
A total of 28,000 people in NSW were tested over the last 24 hours.
At the same time, Premier Steven Marshall has announced that South Australia will introduce a hard border closure with NSW from 12.01am Friday.
Returning residents, people re-locating permanently to South Australia and “essential travelers” will be exempt from the rule.
As NSW health authorities continue to investigate the virus sources, the list of alerts for potentially infected venues is growing.
New alerts on Thursday include Earlwood Bradwell Park RSL on 28 December in the evening and NSW Health is asking anyone who attended at that time to get tested ad self-isolate.
People who visited Rhodes Priceline Pharmacy on 24 December in the morning and Bass Hill Plaza on the same day around lunchtime should monitor for symptoms and get tested.
The Croydon cluster is a worry for authorities as some live outside the area in Sydney’s inner west and no link has yet been established with another cluster on the northern beaches.
“The Croydon cluster is concerning because there’s no established link,” Premier Gladys Berejiklian said on Wednesday.
“We anticipate that because of the nature of that extended family’s movements, there will be more cases from that cluster.”
The northern beaches cluster, meanwhile, has grown to 138 people.
Due to the spread of cases outside of the peninsula, tighter restrictions for New Year’s Eve and beyond have come into force.
Household gatherings across greater Sydney – which includes Wollongong, the Central Coast, Nepean and the Blue Mountains – will be limited to five people indoors, down from 10, and 30 outdoors, down from 50.
Sydneysiders are mostly banned from watching the city’s New Year’s Eve fireworks from the harbour on Thursday, with the foreshore fenced off.
Authorities are also investigating three COVID-19 cases involving two people from the same household in Wollongong and another in north Sydney.
Close-contact alerts were on Wednesday issued for two venues inside Bankstown Sports Club – including the La Piazza eatery – on 28 December, as well as a nail salon and hair salon in Bass Hill on 24 December.
People who attended those venues on those dates must get tested and self-isolate for 14 days regardless of the test result.
Other casual-contact alerts were issued for pharmacies in Bankstown, Liverpool and Katoomba in the Blue Mountains.
Earlier alerts were released for a restaurant at the Sydney Opera House, as well as the Santa Claus photo booth at Burwood Westfield, Officeworks at Punchbowl and the Coffee Club cafe at Stockland in Shellharbour.
Close-contact alerts were on Tuesday issued for two Greek Orthodox churches in Wollongong on 27 December – St Nektarios and The Holy Cross.
To avoid “super spreading events”, Ms Berejiklian said the new five-person rule for indoor gatherings in Sydney will remain in place indefinitely.
Stay-at-home orders applying to northern beaches residents north of the Narrabeen Bridge will continue until at least 9 January. A lockdown for the peninsula’s southern zone will be in place until 2 January.
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/coronavirusPlease check the relevant guidelines for your state or territory: NSW, Victoria, Queensland, Western Australia, South Australia, Northern Territory, ACT, Tasmania
