NSW has recorded two more coronavirus cases linked to the Berala BWS cluster as authorities plead for more people to come forward for testing.
No new community cases were recorded from 22,275 tests in the 24 hours to 8pm on Sunday, with the two new Berala infections coming after the cut-off period. Seven cases were also recorded in hotel quarantine on Monday.
BWS in Berala, in Sydney’s west, was an exposure site for up to nine hours a day every day between 22 December and New Year’s Eve, skipping only Christmas Day.
Most who visited the bottle shop across the Christmas period are now considered close contacts and need to isolate for 14 days even if they only attended for a short time. More than 1,000 people attended on Christmas Eve alone.
“That is a long time since that period, but what we want to do is pick up any people that may have been transmitted to then to assist us in blocking any further chains of transmission,” NSW chief health officer Kerry Chant told reporters.
There are fresh alerts as well for the Berala Woolworths on 24, 26, 28 and 31December.
On Monday afternoon, NSW Health added alerts for other western Sydney venues including Auburn’s Reading Cinema, and Woolworths and OKS Beauty and Hair in Lidcombe.
NSW deputy premier John Barilaro called for higher rates of testing across the state, particularly in Western Sydney.
Mr Barilaro said the high rates of testing from the Northern Beaches during days over the Christmas period proved people were capable of getting tested in large numbers.
“At its peak, [we had] a day of 70,000 tests,” he said.
“We know as a state and we know as citizens that we can actually do this and do this very, very well.”
Earlier on Monday, Mr Barilaro said the government would have no qualms about tightening restrictions around Berala if it had to.
He admitted contact tracing at the BWS was a big task, as QR codes are not mandatory at NSW bottle shops.
“One of the things we said when we were lifting restrictions was that if we had to respond, it would be fast and it would be hard and local, just like we have done for the (Northern Beaches) peninsula,” he told the Nine Network.
NSW Health is updating its list of exposure sites across the state here.
Cricket concern
It comes as Cricket Australia halves the number of spectators allowed into the SCG for this week’s Australia-India Test to 25 per cent capacity, or 12,000 people, on advice from NSW Health.
The Test, scheduled to start on Thursday, will be re-ticketed, meaning those who bought admission under the original restrictions will get refunded.
Tickets will be back on sale to those who had bought a seat at 5pm AEDT on Monday, with the remaining tickets released at midday AEDT Tuesday.
“Reducing the capacity of the venue is crucial in achieving social distancing requirements, and we sincerely thank ticketholders for their patience, as we process refunds today, reconfigure the SCG seating plan to deliver these social distancing measures and go back on sale,” Cricket Australia interim CEO Nick Hockley said.
NSW and federal Labor have voiced unease about the Test, as has the Australian Medical Association.
“This is a potential transmission site, as people queue at the ticket gates, at food and beverage stalls and use shared toilet facilities – on top of taking public transport from all parts of Sydney to gather in one central location,” AMA President Omar Khorshid said in a statement over the weekend.
“The decision to hold the Test match with spectators is at odds with the rest of NSW’s appropriate response to the latest outbreak.”
Meanwhile, masks are now mandatory in Greater Sydney shopping centres, on public transport, in places of worship and other indoor places, and those caught flouting the mandate can be fined $2,000.
The rules came into effect as anti-mask protesters marched through a popular Sydney shopping centre on Sunday.
NSW Greens MP David Shoebridge posted footage of the protesters at Bondi Junction Westfield to Twitter, where their actions were met with criticism by users of the platform.
NSW Health Minister Brad Hazzard criticised the protesters on Monday morning.
“If [you] don’t like the idea of a mask, stay home or stay outside. You don’t have to go into the shopping centres and put other people at danger,” he said.
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.
With AAP.
