Summary
- Victoria reported 10 local coronavirus cases on Saturday, including two people who tested in NSW before returning south. NSW reported three local cases on Friday – all mystery cases in Sydney's west.
- Victoria's border with NSW closed at midnight. There have been massive traffic jams on the border as thousands of people scrambled to get home. You can check our wrap of current border rules.
- Prime Minister Scott Morrison rejected calls to rush approvals for a coronavirus vaccine and called for consistency on border closures.
- NSW household gatherings are now limited to five guests in Greater Sydney, Wollongong, the Central Coast and the Blue Mountains. Masks are mandatory indoors again in Victoria.
- Residents of the lower part of Sydney's northern beaches will find out today if they can leave their area's lockdown, NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian has said.
Latest updates
NSW's new rules: recapped
By Mary Ward
This morning, NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian announced a number of new rules for residents of Sydney and surrounds in light of continuing coronavirus cases. Here is a recap.
- From Monday, masks will be compulsory in certain settings in Greater Sydney, Wollongong, the Central Coast and the Blue Mountains. These are: retail stores, supermarkets and shopping centres; public/shared transport; indoor entertainment (including cinemas and theatres); places of worship and hair and beauty premises. Staff in hospitality venues and casinos will also need to wear a face mask. There will be a $200 fine for non-compliance and children under 12 will be exempt.
- In Greater Sydney, Wollongong, the Central Coast and the Blue Mountains, gym classes will be reduced to 30 people and nightclubs will not be permitted.
- Also in these places, religious services, weddings and funerals will be capped at 100 attendees (subject to the four square metre rule). Outdoor concerts and protests will be capped at 500 people and "controlled" outdoor gatherings – seated and enclosed – will be capped at 2000 people unless an approved COVIDSafe plan allows for more.
- The lower part of the northern beaches is now being treated as part of Greater Sydney under public health order.
- In the upper part of the northern beaches, in addition to mandatory masks, rules remain the same (no gatherings in the home, gatherings of five outside of the home) and will remain until January 9.
Genome sequencing for western Sydney cases to be available tomorrow
By Mary Ward
NSW Chief Health Officer Kerry Chant says genome sequencing to determine if the recent coronavirus infections identified at Berala in western Sydney is linked to existing cases will be available tomorrow.
It is possible the cases are linked to the northern beaches cluster – which also includes recent cases in Croydon and Wollongong – or to the cases in the transport worker and their close contacts which were acquired from returned travellers.
Anyone who attended BWS Berala between December 22 and 31 has been urged to come forward for testing and self-isolate in light of possible exposure from an infectious person on these dates.
NSW workplaces encouraged to review COVIDSafe plans
By Mary Ward
NSW Chief Health Officer Kerry Chant has encouraged workplaces to review their COVIDSafe plans in light of the new requirements for mask wearing.
She has also asked workplaces to think about social distancing requirements in shared areas.
"Sometimes those behaviours might lack in tea rooms and they can often be crowded spaces," she said.
"Given we have gone from that period when we have had no community transmission, it is a good time for workplaces to update their COVID-safety plans. If they choose to implement additional measures, we would be happy about that as well."
NSW Health to be walked through Sydney Test safety plan
By Mary Ward
Premier Gladys Berejiklian says NSW Health authorities will be walked through the SCG's COVIDSafe plan for hosting the Sydney Test against India from January 7.
The Premier has faced a number of questions on the controversial event at this morning's press conference, particularly after capping other, non-stadium, outdoor events at 2000 attendees.
"We appreciate what people might say about us continuing to hold those events, but also consider the thousands of jobs it keeps, consider the sense of normality it gives us," she said.
Asked why people would be required to wear a mask on public transport to the SCG, but would only be asked to wear a mask once at the stadium, Chief Health Officer Kerry Chant said buses presented a different risk as an enclosed space.
"Things like buses raise our concern more because there are opportunities for a greater duration of exposure," she said.
A breakdown of Sydney's seven new cases, new venue alerts
By Mary Ward
NSW Chief Health Officer Kerry Chant has provided a breakdown of the seven new local cases recorded in the state today.
Five of the cases are linked to the Berala cluster identified yesterday. There are now six cases linked to the initial infection in a man in his 40s: his five household contacts and a co-worker.
The sixth case is a household contact of the transport worker who acquired their infection from transporting returned travellers at Sydney Airport. This is the second family member of the worker to test positive, and one co-worker has also tested positive.
The final case is under investigation. They live in inner south-western Sydney.
An additional 12 cases were reported in hotel quarantine during the 24-hour period.
Dr Chant thanked western Sydney residents for coming forward for testing
"I cannot stress enough how pleased I was to see a text from the district indicating that there were queues for testing in western Sydney," she said, noting there were multiple testing locations which would be provided with more resources.
"I am really gratified to see the response from the community and we need that response," she added.
The Chief Health Officer encouraged anyone who was at BWS Berala between Tuesday, December 22 and this Thursday (New Year's Eve) to check the list of venues for exposure details after a person attended at repeated times which infectious.
She also drew attention to two new venues of concern: 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.
NSW to mandate masks on public transport, in shops
By Mary Ward
NSW will mandate masks in certain indoor settings from Monday, with a $200 fine for those caught without in greater Sydney.
Premier Gladys Berejiklian said it would be compulsory to wear a mask in settings including: shopping centres, public transport, attending an entertainment venue such as a cinema, places of worship, hair and beauty salons and gaming areas of establishments. Staff at hospitality venues will also have to wear a mask.
The rule will be in force from Sunday but no fines will be issued before Monday, the Premier said, noting the strategy had been discussed "for months and months".
"The reason it is happening now is you want to make sure to give confidence to business and people holding down jobs that you can continue about your activity in NSW so long as you wear a mask in those indoor settings where there is a higher risk of transmission," she said.
Additional restrictions will also be in place for certain venues in Greater Sydney, which includes Wollongong, the Central Coast and Blue Mountains. Gym classes will be restricted to 30 people and places of worship, weddings and funerals to 100 attendees, all subject to the four square metre rule.
Indoor performances have been capped at 500 attendees and outdoor events at 2000 as part of the changes, the Premier said.
NSW records seven new cases as lower northern beaches lockdown lifted
By Mary Ward
There have been seven local coronavirus recorded in NSW during the latest 24 hour reporting period, after nearly 32,000 people came forward for testing.
Premier Gladys Berejiklian said four of the new cases were from the same household and all but one has already been linked to an existing case.
The lockdown on the lower part of the northern beaches has been lifted, with residents who live south of Narrabeen Bridge now being treated in line with greater Sydney under the public health order, the Premier announced, thanking the region for their patience.
"Thankfully, according to the health advice, the risk of transmission in that part of the northern beaches has dissipated and, as I foreshadowed yesterday and the day before, there is a greater risk at this stage of community transmission in parts of western Sydney, which we are obviously trying to get on top of," she said.
The lockdown measures will remain in place in the northern part of the northern beaches until January 9, which the Premier described as a "worse case".
WATCH: NSW Premier addresses the media
NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian, Health Minister Brad Hazzard and Chief Health Officer Kerry Chant are due to give a coronavirus update at 11am.
One case detected in Queensland hotel quarantine as border holds steady
By Matt Dennien
Queensland has reported just one new case of COVID-19 on Saturday in a returned overseas traveller in hotel quarantine, as the state holds steady with its existing border arrangements.
The new infection brings the state’s active caseload to 13, Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk confirmed in a social media update.
Genome sequencing of test samples has confirmed three of these people were carrying virus strains originating from South Africa and the United Kingdom, believed to be more infectious.
With the number of locally acquired cases continuing to grow in NSW and Victoria, and other states expanding border bans, chief health officer Jeannette Young has so far warned people to reconsider their need to travel to the southern states as the situation could change “really quickly”.
Only people who have been in the declared greater Sydney hotspot region are barred from entering Queensland via its hard border, reintroduced last week. However, all travellers from NSW are required to present a border pass on arrival.
Victoria has not ruled out possibility of undetected transmission
By Ashleigh McMillan
Victoria health authorities are not ruling out the possibility of community transmission that’s gone unnoticed in the state, as the Health Minister admitted there “couldn’t be a worse time” for an outbreak.
Testing commander Jeroen Weimar said at a press conference on Saturday morning that Victoria had “work to do” in order to squash the current outbreak.
“I would not exclude the possibility that we have other transmission that we haven't spotted,” he said.
“The sooner we can identify those, the better we will be and we have work to do to run this through but at this point in time we have made a strong start.
“Let's be clear, we have work to do to make sure we get to the full range and depth of this outbreak. The job for all of us within the health services as well as across the state is to maintain that momentum over the next few days.”
Health Minister Martin Foley called the outbreaks in NSW and Victoria “regrettable”, as the holiday season is the period where people are moving around most.
“This time around it seems to have leaked out of hotel quarantine in New South Wales, into the Northern Beaches, into the Croydon community and now down to Melbourne,” he said.
“At least time of the year, where we have maximum movement of people across our communities, it couldn't be a worse time, frankly, but we don't get to pick these things in a global pandemic.”
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2021-01-02 00:50:00Z
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