Latest updates
Sydney: Are people wearing masks in your area?
Hey Sydney, how are you feeling about mandatory masks while you shop, travel and watch movies? How is your suburb responding?
Tell us what you think. We'd love to hear from you.
$200 fine for flouting face mask rule will kick in Monday
Cloth mask makers across Sydney are gearing up for a spike in demand after the announcement that masks would be mandatory in certain settings across Greater Sydney from midnight on Saturday.
Masks are now mandatory in shops, supermarkets, shopping centres, public transport, cinemas, places of worship, and hair and beauty salons.
Face masks will also be mandatory for all staff in hospitality venues and casinos and for patrons using gaming services.
While the edict came into force at midnight, you've got one day to get used to the idea before $200 on-the-spot fines kick in on Monday. Children under the age of 12 are exempt.
There are now calls for the government to give away free masks to ensure the enforcement did not harm those who could not afford to buy masks or damage goodwill from the general public.
Thousands of tourism groups face closure without $1b: industry
Keeping the nation's tourism industry afloat after a disrupted holiday season is estimated to cost taxpayers up to $1 billion, amid warnings the travel sector will be wrecked by border closures without extra financial support from the federal government.
The introduction of hard borders between NSW and Victoria, South Australia and Western Australia was estimated by tourism industry groups to shave $3 billion off revenue for travel businesses over the critical Christmas period.
This is a hit to turnover of more than 50 per cent and follows significant revenue declines from bushfires the year before.
More on this story from Jennifer Duke.
Backpackers feel demonised but grateful to be here
By Andrew Taylor
Some backpackers in Australia feel they have been unfairly targeted by politicians and the media over breaches of coronavirus restrictions amid a "small wave of xenophobia" directed at young foreign travellers.
The Sun-Herald spoke to five backpackers in Sydney who all said they were grateful to be in Australia during the COVID-19 pandemic as they watched the situation in Europe deteriorate.
British backpacker Natasha Hastings said she sometimes felt backpackers were victimised by the media “and I also feel we get treated differently”.Credit:Steven Saphore
"I remember that I tried to not speak in public to avoid people noticing my foreign accent," said Michael Urbach, 31, from France.
Natasha Hastings, 26, from England, said she also felt she was treated differently, as a backpacker.
"When the huge spike happened in the northern beaches there wasn't a 'name and shame' in big tabloids of the people who broke the rules and didn't quarantine," she said.
Fears COVID cases in Victoria may be missed amid testing delays
Health experts fear "huge" delays for coronavirus testing have put Victoria at risk of missing positive cases, saying the state needs to be better prepared to meet sudden spikes in demand.
Signs at a testing clinic in West Footscray on Saturday.Credit:Scott McNaughton
Melbourne’s Thai restaurant COVID-19 cluster grew to 18 on Saturday. In an encouraging sign, all of the eight new cases are linked to close contacts of known cases.
But frustration was growing as some holidaymakers forced into long journeys home from NSW and told to get tested within 24 hours reported having to wait more than six hours at overwhelmed and understaffed testing clinics.
Exposure sites are being reported across the state and beyond – at Melbourne CBD restaurants, suburban supermarkets, regional towns in Victoria and the coastal town of Bermagui in NSW.
Read more on this from Aisha Dow and Ashleigh McMillan.
Interactive: Venue exposure sites mapped
Sydneysiders and Melburnians looking to find out whether they have been to a venue recently visited by someone later diagnosed with coronavirus can now do so more easily thanks to covid19nearme.com.au. The site was built by a Sydney data expert and uses information provided by the NSW government's COVID-19 data program and Victoria's Department of Health and Human Services Victoria to visualise a long list of venue alerts put out sometimes multiple times per day.
The map, embedded below, doesn't include public transport routes in NSW. They can be found on the NSW government's official list of locations.
Interact with the venue alert map:
NSW Health upgrades alerts for BWS Berala
NSW Health late on Saturday night upgraded its alert advice for BWS Berala.
Anyone who attended BWS at Berala on the following dates is considered a close contact. They must get tested immediately and self-isolate for 14 days from last contact regardless of the test result.
The dates are: December 22, 12.41pm-9.15pm; December 23, 1.40pm-9.15pm; December 24, 12.40pm-9.17pm; December 26, 9.55am-7.15pm; December 27, 12.39pm-8.15pm; December 28, 9.30am-7.15pm; December 29, 1.41pm-9.15pm; December 30, 12.45pm-9.15pm; December 31, 8.30am-3pm.
Also affected is the Coffee Club at Stockland Shellharbour. Anyone who visited for an hour or more on Sunday, December 27, between 11.30am and 12.45pm is considered a close contact, must get tested and isolate until receiving further advice, regardless of the test result.
Two other new venues of concern were added to the NSW Health list: The Australian Motor Traders on Haberfield Road from 4.30pm to 5pm on Tuesday and Officeworks Punchbowl from 3.35pm to 3.45pm on the same day.
'Manly is back!': MP James Griffin
Following the Saturday announcement that residents of the southern part of the northern beaches were being released from lockdown, Manly MP James Griffin tweeted in celebration: "Manly is back!"
"Great feedback from very excited local business owners who are getting ready to welcome back customers".
The southern part of the northern beaches is today under the same restrictions as Greater Sydney as of midnight last night.
Liberal MP for Manly James Griffin.Credit:Kirk Gilmour
NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian said yesterday that Treasurer Dominic Perrottet and other ministers were liaising with the chambers of commerce and businesses about providing support to northern beaches businesses in the coming weeks.
Chief Health Officer Kerry Chant said the reason the northern zone was not coming out of lockdown was because of a higher rate of infection given the population density in the area was low.
Read the full story here.
Good morning
Welcome to our live Sunday coverage of the coronavirus pandemic.
Here's a quick recap of where we're at today:
- Sydney residents now have to wear masks in some public indoor spaces, with a $200 fine for those caught flouting the new rules. The spaces include shopping centres, public transport, entertainment venues, places of worship and salons and gaming areas of establishments
- Residents of the southern part of Sydney's northern beaches have been released from lockdown and now come under the broader restrictions that apply to Greater Sydney; those in the northern zone will need to wait another week
- Many Victorians who travelled to NSW are confused and uncertain about their ability to return home. Following the Victorian government's Friday cut-off, travellers who had been in the NSW "red zone" over the Christmas period, which included Greater Sydney, were unable to apply for a border crossing permit
- More exposure sites in suburban and regional Victoria have been added by the health department, including many in the popular coastal holiday spot Lakes Entrance
- Victoria recorded 10 new local cases of coronavirus on Saturday as genomic sequencing confirmed the state's outbreak is linked to Sydney's northern beaches cluster
- Five of the cases are linked to Sydney's Berala cluster and the sixth case is a household contact of the transport worker who acquired their infection from transporting returned travellers at Sydney Airport. The final case is under investigation
- A NSW couple accused of running from officers at Melbourne Airport after being told they would need to quarantine for 14 days have defended their actions. Terry and Debbie Elford – who were found in regional NSW and are each facing a fine of more than $19,000 – have disputed Victorian authorities' allegations they ran from officers after arriving into Melbourne on a flight from Canberra, but said they were "really sorry" over the ordeal
- The Victorian government has apologised for delays at coronavirus testing stations after people reported queueing for hours or getting turned away soon after sites opened on Saturday
Western Australia's acting Premier and Health Minister, Roger Cook, said the spread of the COVID-19 outbreak into Victoria was the direct result of NSW not imposing more hardline measure to control community transmission. Mr Cook said if NSW had "gone harder earlier" in response to the northern beaches outbreak, the virus would not have spread as it has. His comments followed concerns aired by the Australian Medical Association
Stay with us as we follow all today's developments.
Most Viewed in National
https://news.google.com/__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?oc=5
2021-01-02 21:07:00Z
52781281695747
Bagikan Berita Ini
0 Response to "Coronavirus updates LIVE: Greater Sydney mask mandate comes into effect; Northern beaches lockdown eases; Victoria traces 10 local cases - The Sydney Morning Herald"
Post a Comment