Coronavirus Australia live: NSW and Victoria issue new venue alerts - NEWS.com.au

Most of the new locations flagged by NSW Health last night are in the suburb of Wentworthville, with anyone who visited the list of venues considered a casual contact and asked to get tested immediately and isolate until they receive a negative result.

Anyone who was at the Sydney Murugan Temple, 217 Great Western Hwy, Mays Hill on Friday, January 1 between 12:46pm and 1:06pm is now considered a close contact, and must immediately get tested and self-isolate for 14 days, regardless of the result.

Meanwhile, thousands of people are being urged to get tested in Melbourne due to a new mystery case, who may have picked up his infection from either the MCG or stores in the Chadstone Shopping Centre.

Infectious disease physician Allen Cheng said a 30-year-old man – whose infection can’t be linked to another case or a high risk location – attended day two of the Melbourne Test on December 27.

He was not infectious when he attended, however the MCG is being investigated as a potential source for the infection.

He also attended stores in the Chadstone Shopping Centre – on December 26 between 6am-2pm – which are being treated as potential acquisition sites for the infection.

The stores include: Culture Kings, Huffer, JD Sports, Jay Jays, H&M, Uniqlo, Myer, Superdry, Footlocker and Dumplings Plus.

Victoria’s coronavirus testing commander Jeroen Weimar says 8000 people were in Zone 5 – where the case was seated – at the MCG, and “there’ll be many thousands of people who’ve been through Chadstone”.

Follow our live coverage below.

Live Updates

The United Kingdom has recorded more than 1000 COVID-19 daily deaths for the first time since April as the government struggles to deal with a new, more infectious variant of the coronavirus.

The four nations of the United Kingdom recorded 1041 deaths within 28 days of a positive test for the virus on Wednesday and a further 62,322 new COVID-19 cases, according to official data.

The figures were another stark reminder of the severity of the crisis as England and Scotland started new COVID-19 lockdowns this week, with citizens under orders to stay at home.

Tuesday’s data had shown 60,916 new coronavirus infections and 830 deaths. Britain has been among the countries worst-hit by COVID-19, with the highest death toll in Europe.

There are 30,074 COVID patients in UK hospitals.

Angie Raphael, NCA NewsWire

Three people have now been forced into hotel quarantine after they failed to wear full personal protective equipment while assisting a COVID-19 patient who was rushed to a Perth hospital.

Premier Mark McGowan told reporters on Wednesday the patient was a woman aged in her 80s, who had arrived in Perth from the United Kingdom on January 2.

She was symptomatic upon arrival and was tested in hotel quarantine, with genomic sequencing to determine in the next few days whether she has the very contagious UK strain of the virus.

An ambulance took the woman to Royal Perth Hospital on Tuesday and she is in a stable condition in a negative pressure room.

Mr McGowan flagged authorities were investigating possible PPE failures from the incident, and in a statement late on Wednesday, the WA Health Department confirmed there had been two breaches in hotel quarantine.

The first was a nurse, who responded to the patient without wearing full PPE, while the second was a St John Ambulance officer, who did not wear PPE while they were less than 1.5m away from the patient.

Read the full story here.

A special National Cabinet meeting will be held this Friday to discuss the threat posed by the new, more infectious strain of COVID-19 that has emerged in the United Kingdom.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced on Facebook that the meeting had been called, following a request from chief medical officer Paul Kelly and the AHPPC.

Western Australia Premier Mark McGowan had also called for a National Cabinet meeting.

"The proposal is to further strengthen the COVID safety of end to end international travel processes (from arrival at airport of embarkation in the exit country, to final clearance from hotel quarantine in Australia)," Mr Morrison wrote.

"This is being done particularly in the context of the UK strain."

The meeting will also "provide an opportunity to further update National Cabinet on the federal government's vaccination programme, where considerable progress is being made over the break".

NSW Health has issued a new round of public health alerts for the western Sydney suburb of Wentworthville, after venues were visited by a confirmed case of COVID-19.

Anyone who visited the following venues at the listed times in a casual contact and should get tested immediately and isolate until a negative result is received:
+ BWS, 326-336 Great Western Hwy, Wentworthville on Sunday, December 27 between 8:30pm and 8:35pm;

+ Domino&#x27;s Pizza, Shop 2/71 Dunmore St, Wentworthville on Sunday, December 27 between 8:50pm and 9pm;

+ Woolworths, 336 Great Western Hwy, Wentworthville on Wednesday, December 30 between 12pm and 12:10pm;

+ Green Farm Meat NSW Halal, Shop 13, 336/326 Great Western Hwy, Wentworthville on Wednesday, December 30 between 12:10pm and 12:15pm;

+ Udaya Supermarket, 78 Station St, Wentworthville on Wednesday, December 30 between 6:30pm and 6:35pm; Sunday, January 3 between 6:30pm and 6:40pm or on Monday, January 4 between 6:30pm and 6:35pm;

+ Ambeys Big Apple, 39A Station St, Wentworthville on Friday, January 1 between 5:30pm and 5:40pm or on Saturday, January 2 between 8:45pm and 8:50pm;

+ Sri Lakshmi Supermarket, 86-96 Station St, Wentworthville on Friday, January 1 between 5:40pm and 5:45pm;

+ Pizza Hut, 41 Station St, Wentworthville on Saturday, January 2 between 8:30pm and 8:40pm;

+ Swagath Biryani House, 46 Station St, Wentworthville on Monday, January 4 between 6:40pm and 6:50pm;

+ Merrylands RSL, 8/12 Miller St, Merrylands on Monday, December 28 between 4pm and 6pm;

+ Sydney Murugun Temple, 217 Great Western Hwy, Mays Hill on Friday, January 1 between 12:30pm and 12:46pm and 1:06pm and 1:30pm.

NSW Health previously advised anyone who had been at the Sydney Murugan Temple, 217 Great Western Hwy, Mays Hill on Friday, January 1 between 12:46pm and 1:06pm to get tested and self-isolate until further advice.

They must now immediately get tested and self-isolate for 14 days, regardless of the result.