From Thursday for three days, the northern beaches will be divided into two zones, the rest of Greater Sydney another zone which is itself separate from regional NSW.
Depending on where you are you can have five or 50 people at home and you either have to remain in your zone or can travel as freely as you want. It’s been labelled a “joke” which people are bound to accidentally get wrong. While others have questioned why restrictions are being loosened at all warning “COVID doesn’t take a Christmas break”.
Elsewhere, health bosses are in a race against time to decipher how two of the most recent cases in the Sydney outbreak relate to the northern beaches.
Chief health officer Dr Kerry Chant said today there was a “missing link” surrounding two cases.
Both have been genomically linked to the northern beaches but neither have a direct connection to the COVID hotspot.
It’s the latest mystery with the Avalon cluster, with the so-called “patient zero” still unknown nor how the virus reached the Sydney peninsula.
Premier Gladys Berejiklian today announced NSW has recorded eight new cases linked to the northern beaches, as well as a further eight in hotel quarantine.
The northern beaches has now been divided into two zones for COVID purposes with restrictions around Christmas depending whether you are in the north or south zone of the beaches, or if you’re in the rest of Greater Sydney or further afield. If you’re confused, and many are, scroll below for a map where we have tried to lay it all out.
“If you’re a resident of the northern part of the northern beaches, if you live north of the Narrabeen Bridge and east of the Bahai Temple at Mona Vale roads, you cannot leave your area. You are still in lockdown,” Ms Berejiklian said of the area around Avalon which continues to have strict measures in place.
“You can’t accept anybody outside your community and I apologise for that but we have to maintain a lockdown in that area.”
Read on for all the latest updates.
Live Updates
If you travelled on these bus routes during the times indicated, get tested and self-isolate until you receive a negative result, then continue to monitor for symptoms.
+ B1-1, starting at Warriewood BLine Pittwater Rd and ending at Wynyard Station Stand B, from 6.50am-745am on Wednesday December 16;
+ B1-2, starting at Wynyard Station Stand B and ending at Warriewood BLine Pittwater Rd, from 4.30pm-530pm on Wednesday December 16;
+ 199-49, starting at Barrenjoey Rd opposite George St and ending at Barrenjoey Rd opposite Village Park, from 11am-11.25am on Thursday December 17;
+ B1-1, starting at Mona Vale BLine Barrenjoey Rd and ending at Wynyward Station Stand M, from 11.30am-12.36pm on Thursday December 17;
+ B1-2, starting at Wynyard Station Stand B and ending at Mona Vale BLine Barrenjoey Rd, from 4.15pm-5.15pm on Thursday December 17;
+ 188X-2, starting at Mona Vale BLine Barrenjoey Rd and ending at Barrenjoey Rd after George St, from 5.20pm-5.40pm on Thursday December 17.
There are also a couple of train routes to look at here. The same advice applies – get tested and self-isolate until you get a negative result, then watch for symptoms.
+ Wynyard to Milsons Point on Thursday December 17, between 12.39pm-12.46pm;
+ Milsons Point to Wynyard on Thursday December 17, between 4pm-4.11pm.
We have a new list of venue alerts from NSW Health. Some of the places on it are brand new, while others have been given updated dates and times.
If you were at these venues, you need to get tested immediately and isolate for 14 days, even if you get a negative result.
+ Alma Avalon Restaurant, Avalon from 8.30pm on Wednesday December 16;
+ Premier Academy League Under 8s, Macquarie University Soccer Fields from 9.15am-10.45am on Sunday December 13;
+ Mona Vale Fitness First, Mona Vale all day on Thursday.
For this next one, you need to get tested and then isolate until you receive a negative result.
+ MLC building food court, Sydney from 1pm-2pm on Tuesday December 15.
If you were at the next venue, you're considered a casual contact and should monitor yourself for symptoms of the virus. If they appear, get tested and isolate.
+ De'assis Collaroy Cafe, Collaroy from 9.15am-10.10am on Saturday December 12.
For this one, please get tested and isolate until NSW Health provides further information.
+ Bondi Icebergs Club, Bondi (the pool deck level) from 8am-9.30am on Sunday December 20 and from 7am-8am on Monday December 21.
There's also a whole bunch of bus and train routes, which I'll deal with in a separate post. Stand by.
NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian announced an array of alterations to COVID restrictions in and around Sydney today over the Christmas period – and it's fair to say some people are a little perplexed by them.
"What a joke," said one person on Twitter at the new guidance which now differs depending on which of four zones you live in.
In some cases it's essentially Christmas as normal, but if you're in the northernmost beaches of the northern beaches you can only have five people around for Christmas dinner and they must all be from the neighbourhood.
“A recipe for confusion,” said a social media user.
https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.jsActual photo of a Sydney family figuring out Christmas lunch: pic.twitter.com/wzDCMfFLfa
— Byron Kaye (@byronkaye) December 23, 2020
Comedian Dan Ilic likened the rules to a mobile phone plan. "10 people max per home + Unlimited Children under 12".
Labor Senator, and one time NSW Premier herself, Kristina Keneally berated the current premier for not providing enough detail as to exactly where the most hard hit zone would be. Earlier today, the level of detail was simply "north of the Narrabeen bridge, east of the Baha’i temple".
"Can you please provide an accurate map of the Northern Beaches divide ASAP?" Ms Keneally said, who pointed out three different news outlets had three different boundaries.
It was only later that NSW Health provided a map of the northern part of the beaches.
https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.jsBut, what are the restrictions for the South-East-West-outer upper West Northern Beaches, bro? π€ @GladysB#Sydneyoutbreak #GladysCluster #NSW #Sydney
— Mark: A Star Wars Story. π· (@EmjayMj2) December 23, 2020
Others were perplexed there was any relaxation in restrictions at all.
“The NSW government wants to ease restrictions for Greater Sydney for 3 days, and then revert back to current restrictions. I didn't know COVID was taking a break over Christmas”, was one reaction.
“Investigations continue into the source of the Avalon cluster” said another.
“Hey, why not ease restrictions for three days”.
Australians who were due to fly home through one of two major international gateways face being stranded after borders were closed to the UK.
The UK is in the grip of another surge of COVID-19, this time a more infectious variant of the virus is partly to blame.
Scores of countries have shut off access to Britain fearful the variant may become widespread.
Both Singapore and Hong Kong have now done the same. The two city states are crucial transit points for Australians. Passengers whose journey originated in the UK won't even be able to pass through the terminal.
Foreign Minister Marise Payne said the Government may charter more flights, such as the Qantas repatriation flights, to get people home.
"Our global diplomatic network is assisting Australians who have been affected by flight restrictions put in place by Singapore and Hong Kong in response to the new COVID-19 strain in the United Kingdom.
"This includes help to rebook on alternative flights, including Australian government facilitated flights."
Qantas has issued more details regarding a staff member who flew from Paris last week on a repatriation flight and subsequently tested positive for COVID-19 upon his return to Australia.
"He travelled as a passenger on a domestic flight from Darwin back to Sydney on Friday and has been in self-isolation at home since," Qantas medical director Ian Hosegood said in a statement.
"This was in line with government-approved protocols. Since then the protocols have changed and operating crew won’t be travelling on normal domestic flights after operating international repatriation flights."
It is still not clear where he picked up the virus.
This afternoon, Northern Territory Health Minister Natasha Fyles said it was not thought the man was infectious during his stay in Darwin, which was in hotel isolation.
He landed in Darwin on December 17 but developed symptoms in Sydney.
He will be added to tomorrow's NSW numbers.
"As the person had been self-isolating at home, wore PPE on the flights from overseas and from Darwin to Sydney as well as on the driver home, the risk to public health is minimal and all close contacts are being identified and tested," NSW Health said in a statement.
Health authorities in New South Wales have said there is another “missing link” in the city’s current coronavirus outbreak.
Already the identity of the so-called “patient zero” is unknown, nor how the virus found itself in the northern beaches in the first place.
Today a new mystery emerged, surrounding the two cases over the last two days that were not located in the outbreak's epicentre around Avalon.
Tuesday's eighth case was a close contact of a case from yesterday – that of a healthcare worker who was involved in transporting patients with coronavirus.
“We would have probably predicted that … this transport worker acquired it through transporting an infectious patient," chief health officer Dr Kerry Chant said.
That makes sense. However, that is not the case, she said.
"This person did not acquire infection through transporting patients on 14 December, in fact genome sequencing shows it is linked to the Avalon cluster”.
But what that connection is, from the northern beaches to the healthcare worker, remains unclear.
“Sequencing of the virus shows it is linked … to some particular people within the Avalon cluster and we’re trying to investigate the missing links of how that transmission occurred.”
Dr Chant said the new find highlighted how important that genome sequencing was.
"We would have been pursuing one line of inquiry and this really narrows the line of inquiry."
She added that a US woman in hotel quarantine who has the strain linked to the Avalon cluster may not actually be the first person who imported the virus that later spread around the area. She might not be "patient zero" at all.
"We're investigating a range of options and they include hotel quarantine," Dr Chant said.
"They include all keeping a very open mine of all other ways at our international borders.
"We are obviously considering all of the possible avenues and exploring them. And as I said, with all this new information, it generates further lines of inquiry and please be assured that no-one wants to get to the bottom of this probably more than myself."
The Northern Territory isn't exactly rolling out the welcome mat for Sydneysiders to make a last minute dash to Darwin for Christmas, but it is easing some restrictions nonetheless.
The territory has said that the Illawarra region will be removed from a list of Greater Sydney COVID hotspots.
It follows widespread confusion earlier this week about the definition of "Greater Sydney".
Health Minister Natasha Fyles said the Illawarra, which is centered on NSW's third largest city of Wollongong, would now be classed in the same category as the rest of regional NSW.
It also means people from the Illawarra in isolation near Darwin are free to leave.
“I’m able to inform Territorians that in the next hour or so the Illawarra local government area will be lifted as a hotspot declaration,” she said this afternoon.
“This is based on the evidence that they’ve had no cases from the northern beaches coronavirus cluster."
Restrictions on Sydney proper, the central coast and Blue Mountains remain in place.
Earlier this week, the ACT classed the Shoalhaven area as part of Greater Sydney despite its southernmost point being almost 300kms from the Opera House. It later removed the council area from its hotspot list.
Victoria is "catching" people who have flown into the state from Sydney despite it being a "red zone". The unlucky passengers are being sent straight to hotel quarantine.
Over 4000 people have applied for exemptions to enter Victoria from Greater Sydney.
While many have been allowed to return, Victorian authorities have said 35 people who travelled from Sydney without the proper paperwork and after the cut off points of 11:59 pm on Sunday and Monday have now been placed into mandatory 14-day hotel quarantine. It's where they will now spend both Christmas and New Year.
Victoria’s COVID-19 testing chief Jeroen Weimar said the 35 all arrived by air and a number were returning Victorians.
"I think we were abundantly clear, certainly on Sunday, about the arrangements for people who were returning. Victorians had the extra 24 hours," he said.
"But we still have 35 people in mandatory hotel quarantine.
“There were two in the early hours this morning who arrived at the airport from Sydney.
“Clearly no system at (Sydney's) end is foolproof but we are catching people at our end".
NSW Health has added range of new venues and times to it's COVID-19 hotspot list after they were visited by confirmed coronavirus cases.
Anyone who attended the following venues at the following times is considered a close contact, and must immediately get tested and isolate for 14 days, regardless of whether a negative result is received:
Auburn: Rosnay Golf Club Bistro on December 20 from 11.15am-12.15pm
Berowra: Anytime Fitness Berowra on December 16 from 5.30am-6.30am and December 17 from 5.30am-6.30am
Cronulla: Cronulla RSL Club on December 16 from 5pm-closing
Gordon: USA Nails & Footspa on December 18 from 12.30pm-1.30pm.
Kings Park: Anytime Fitness Kings Park on December 18 from 9.30am-11.45am.
Kirribilli: Kirribilli Club on December 14 from 12pm-3pm
Lane Cove: Hair by Erika on December 11 from 2.30pm-4.30pm
Milsons Point: Kirribilli Hotel Milsons Point on December 17 from 12.45pm-3pm
Mona Vale: Coffee Brothers Mona Vale on December 12 from 12pm-1pm
Narrabeen: The Sands on December 15 from 6pm-8pm
Newport: Rusti Fig on December 12 from 9am-10.30am
Newport: ChaRice Noodle Bar on December 16 from 1pm-2.30pm
Newport: Lovat Restaurant on December 15 from 6.30pm-8.30pm
North Narrabeen: Motorserve Narrabeen Car Servicing on December 18 from 10.30am to 12pm.
Palm Beach: Pronto Creative Foods on December 16 from 7.30am-8.30am and December 17 from 7.30am-8.30am
Penrith: Penrith RSL Club on December 13 from 1pm-6pm
The Australian Medical Association has called on the NSW government to cancel the New Year's Eve fireworks in Sydney.
Federal AMA President, Dr Omar Khorshid, and AMA NSW President, Dr Danielle McMullen said restrictions need to be enforced across Greater Sydney into the New Year.
“The NSW outbreak could not have come at a worse time. Even if we can’t hug, we can still celebrate Christmas via video call this year,” Dr Khorshid said in a statement.
“We know that a decisive response where we go hard, and go early, remains the best strategy to tackle outbreaks like this one where there are gaps in information about the transmission of the virus and potential exposure sites are widespread. "
Picture: Hanna Lassen/Getty Images
He urged the NSW government to consider cancelling the fireworks in order to "discourage crowds and avoid any confusion in its public messaging".
Dr McMullen said NSW has made the tough but correct decision to essentially keep restrictions in place over the holiday period. To do otherwise would be a dangerous strategy with NSW still at risk of a severe outbreak.
“As a community we need to work together to have a safe start to 2021,” Dr McMullen said.
“While a COVID-19 vaccine rollout appears likely to commence in March 2021, this will not be available to many members of the community until later in the year.
“We need to maintain physical distance, practice good hand hygiene, and continue to follow medical advice to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
“The NSW Government needs to mandate indoor mask use in areas of known community transmission like Sydney. This was accepted by the Victorian community and there is no reason why NSW should not follow this lead."
https://news.google.com/__i/rss/rd/articles/CBMipgFodHRwczovL3d3dy5uZXdzLmNvbS5hdS93b3JsZC9jb3JvbmF2aXJ1cy9hdXN0cmFsaWEvY29yb25hdmlydXMtYXVzdHJhbGlhLXVyZ2VudC1uZXctYWxlcnRzLWFzLXN5ZG5leS1hbWlkLXRyYXZlbC1jaGFvcy9saXZlLWNvdmVyYWdlL2FiNGU0N2UwY2NhMmNlZGY2ZmRhOWMxZWEzYmI1NTU00gGqAWh0dHBzOi8vd3d3Lm5ld3MuY29tLmF1L3dvcmxkL2Nvcm9uYXZpcnVzL2F1c3RyYWxpYS9jb3JvbmF2aXJ1cy1hdXN0cmFsaWEtdXJnZW50LW5ldy1hbGVydHMtYXMtc3lkbmV5LWFtaWQtdHJhdmVsLWNoYW9zL2xpdmUtY292ZXJhZ2UvYWI0ZTQ3ZTBjY2EyY2VkZjZmZGE5YzFlYTNiYjU1NTQvYW1w?oc=5
2020-12-24 20:26:46Z
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