By Mary Ward
NSW has recorded 31 new local coronavirus cases, as Premier Gladys Berejiklian warns the impact of Greater Sydney’s lockdown will not be seen until next week.
Thirteen of the cases were not in isolation while infectious. NSW broke its daily testing record, with more than 73,602 tests recorded in the 24 hours to 8pm.
“We are anticipating there could be an increase in numbers over the next few days, and then hopefully early next week we should see the impact of the lockdown,” Ms Berejiklian said.
The Premier said it was “concerning” that 13 people were in the community with the virus, and urged people to stay home and for essential workers to not attend work, even with mild symptoms.
Chief Health Officer Kerry Chant urged Greater Sydney residents to limit their movements while in lockdown.
“If you stay at home for the vast majority of the time, limit your grocery shopping to as brief as you can, make sure that you’re going at times that are not busy, maintain that social distancing – even if you haven’t been isolating - you are not posing a threat to the rest of the community,” she said.
New South Wales Premier Gladys Berejiklian said it was concerning how many infected people were in the community. Credit:Brook Mitchell
Twenty-seven of the cases are linked to known contacts, and 17 of these cases were household contacts.
The new cases bring the number of cases recorded in NSW since June 16 to 226. Of these 188 have been linked to the Bondi cluster.
Three cases are in intensive care, but none are ventilated.
Sydney’s outbreak has now spread well beyond the city’s eastern suburbs, with recent cases identified in patrons of a Bossley Park club and Bankstown swim school as well as a student nurse and her close contacts, triggering alerts for wards at Fairfield and Royal North Shore hospitals and a Baulkham Hills aged care facility.
Five healthcare and aged care workers in Sydney – the nurse and her close contacts – have now tested positive for COVID-19 this week. It is not known how many were vaccinated.
The Premier said that, while the national cabinet had already agreed to mandate vaccination for aged care workers by mid-September, they were waiting on advice for other categories.
A student nurse worked at Fairfield Hospital before testing positive to COVID-19 this week.Credit:Kate Geraghty
“Those key workers should be vaccinated but the challenges are there,” she said
Two of the new cases are linked to Strathfield South’s Crossways Hotel, bringing the number of cases linked to the venue to 12.
NSW Health is now asking anyone who was at Crossways between June 23 and 27 to get tested and self-isolate for 14 days.
People who were at Bluey’s Swim School at Bankstown on Saturday are also considered close contacts and follow the same advice.
On Thursday night, NSW Health announced a number of new exposure sites as well as updated advice for venues of particular concern.
Anyone who was at the training pool at Maroubra’s Des Renford Swimming Pool on Friday from 10.45am to 12pm or the gaming area at the Marconi Club at Bossley Park on Friday from 2.30pm to 8pm or Saturday from 10.30am to 6pm, should immediately get tested and self-isolate for 14 days.
People who were at other parts of these venues at these times are directed to get a test and self-isolate until they receive a negative result.
There were three new COVID-19 cases reported in Queensland on Friday, as Brisbane and Moreton Bay’s lockdown was extended for another 24 hours.
Two of the cases were a mother and daughter with no known link to other cases.
At 6am, Victoria’s Health Department made all remaining NSW “green zones” orange under the state’s traffic light travel system.
The change means Victorians who aren’t from a border community and have been in regional NSW won’t be able to re-enter Victoria unless they obtain a permit, agree to isolate upon arrival and get a COVID-19 test within 72 hours. Travel from Greater Sydney is banned for non-Victorians, and Victorians need to quarantine for 14 days.
with Broede Carmody
Mary Ward is a health reporter at The Sydney Morning Herald.
Most Viewed in National
‘Concerning’: Thirteen of 31 new Sydney cases were not in isolation - Sydney Morning Herald
Read More
No comments:
Post a Comment