Scramble to find THOUSANDS who have been exposed to Covid in Sydney and Melbourne as list of hotspots swells and tough new rules are brought in - here's everything you need to know about huge changes TODAY
- Thousands of people could have potentially been exposed to coronavirus
- New South Wales and Victoria are both dealing with their own local outbreaks
- Face masks are mandatory in NSW and people will be fined for not wearing them
- Victorians who arrived in Queensland will be restricted from visiting locations
- Victoria has released 15 new venues which have potentially been exposed
- BWS in Berala, NSW has 13 cases and could have tens of thousands of contacts
Thousands of people have potentially been exposed to coronavirus across New South Wales and Victoria as the list of venues linked to known cases swells again.
Authorities are scrambling across both states to stem the spread of the deadly respiratory virus, as states move to implement stricter restrictions on travellers and locals alike.
From Monday, Sydneysiders can be fined $200 for refusing to wear protective face masks in public, while Queensland has introduced new rules for travellers from Victoria preventing them from visiting vulnerable locations.
NSW Health ramped up its investigation of a Covid cluster in Berala in Sydney's west linked to a BWS store after two infected workers worked nine busy shifts over the Christmas period.
As of Sunday, there were 13 cases linked to the cluster, but authorities fear thousands more could have been exposed to the virus at the busy shop.
From Monday, Sydneysiders can be fined $200 for refusing to wear protective face masks in public (pictured, shoppers in Westfield Bondi Junction on Sunday)
While the low case numbers were promising, contact tracers have identified 15 new Melbourne locations that have been exposed to the virus, including those pictured above
Chief Health Officer Kerry Chant said there are more than 2,000 people who may have visited the Berala store over the Christmas period.
Anybody who visited the BWS between December 22 and December 31 must self isolate for 14 days and seek a Covid test, even if they only briefly visited.
But there are concerns that people who were exposed to the virus in that period could have already spread Covid throughout the community, potentially exposing tens of thousands of people along the way.
There were eight more locally-acquired cases in NSW announced on Sunday, including five linked to the alcohol store, two linked to the historic Avalon cluster and one in Wollongong.
Masks must be worn inside all shopping centres, on public transport, in places of worship, hair and beauty salons, cinemas, post offices and banks (pictured, Bondi Junction on Sunday)
New South Wales Health ramped up its investigation of a Covid cluster in Berala in Sydney's west linked to a BWS store - with cases now popping up across Greater Sydney
Worryingly, the Avalon cluster and the Berala cluster have been determined not to be linked, after scientists used special tests to identify different strains of the virus in each.
The Avalon cluster is believed to have leaked out of hotel quarantine, while the Berala cluster came from a quarantine transport worker, who caught it off a returned traveller.
That worker then passed it onto a colleague, who then for a 'fleeting amount of time' visited the BWS store on December 20, showing how easily the virus can spread.
Meanwhile in Victoria, three new cases were identified - all linked to a local Thai restaurant in Melbourne - taking the state's active case total to 32.
While the low case numbers were promising, contact tracers have identified 15 new locations that have been exposed to the virus in the city - including a busy Kmart.
These locations include:
- Bodriggy Brewing Company, Abbotsford, December 28 between 2.50pm and 5.30pm
- Melbourne Boat Hire - Yarra River Cruise, Docklands, on December 28 between 11.26am and 2pm
- Merrymen Cafe, Hampton, December 28 between 1pm - 2.30pm
- Hotlocks By Rachael Hairdresser, McKinnon, December 23 between 4pm and 6pm
- Federation Square, Melbourne, December 23 between 11pm and 11.30pm
- Honey Birdette, Southland Shopping Centre, Cheltenham, December 22 between 3.50pm - 4.05pm
- Mecca, Southland Shopping Centre, Cheltenham, December 22, between 3.30pm - 3.50pm
- Specsavers, Westfield Southland, Cheltenham, December 22, between 11am - 11.45am
- Coles, Westfield Southland, Cheltenham, December 22 between 11.50am - 12.10pm
- Kmart, Southland Shopping Centre, Cheltenham, December 22 between 6.30pm - 6.45pm and December 28 between 2.30pm - 3pm
Deputy chief health officer Allen Cheng has already indicated he is expecting more cases linked to the Thai restaurant.
'We haven't found the source, but we are looking at several lines of investigation, including one person that had been in Sydney, but outside the Northern Beaches area,' he said on Sunday.
'We have had more genomic results back, and now a total of 10 isolates, and they are all consistent with transmissions between each other and are also links to the New South Wales cluster.'
There are 220 close contacts of known cases already self-isolating, while a further 359 people have also been instructed to quarantine.
Acting premier Jacinta Allan said Sunday's numbers came as a relief, and urged Victorians to 'take great comfort from today's numbers'.
Passengers wear face masks as they disembark a ferry at Circular Quay on January 3, as mandatory mask wearing came into effect
Sydneysiders are still adjusting to the implementation of mandatory mask wearing in public places. From Monday, the mandate will be enforceable with a $200 fine
There are no Australians in intensive care in hospitals or requiring ventilation across the entire nation due to Covid, which is an enormous win for a health system which could have been overrun by the pandemic, like many overseas have been.
Meanwhile Sydneysiders are still adjusting to the implementation of mandatory mask wearing in public places.
From Monday, the mandate will be enforceable with a $200 fine.
It was previously thought the rule would apply in limited settings, such as supermarkets and on buses and trains.
But on Sunday, health chiefs revealed masks must be worn inside all shopping centres, on public transport, in places of worship, hair and beauty salons, cinemas, post offices and banks.
Hospitality staff will also be required to wear masks.
Anybody who visited the Berala BWS (pictured) between December 22 and December 31 must self isolate for 14 days and seek a Covid test, even if they only briefly visited
Masks must be worn inside all shopping centres, on public transport, in places of worship, hair and beauty salons, cinemas, post offices and banks (pictured, a couple in masks on a Sydney ferry on Sunday)
On Sunday, PR maven Roxy Jacenko slammed anti-mask and vaccine protesters who swarmed Sydney's Bondi Junction to oppose the city-wide mask mandate.
Jacenko shared video footage she shot inside her local shopping centre, showing maskless, bongo-playing protesters brandishing signs and singing as they rode up an escalator.
She captioned the clips: 'Sorry, but people have died. Put a f***ing mask on. This does not sit well with me. Disgraceful. Right now at our local shopping centre where we stopped in to get some art supplies to entertain the kids.
'And what's more - totally disappointing to see kids being taught to have pure disregard for the advice of authorities.'
The protesters carried signs which read 'I would rather be a human than a slave'.
The anti-maskers mingled with other shoppers, who were wearing masks, and pushed wild claims such as 'masks increase your risk of infection'.
Meanwhile, Federal Health Minister Greg Hunt has also applauded NSW authorities for avoiding a repeat of Victoria's disastrous second wave, noting the outbreak could have been on a 'vastly larger scale'.
The state's outbreak has seeded across different Sydney venues, and south to Melbourne according to genomic testing, but a 'potentially enormous event' could have occurred.
Mr Hunt said Victoria was in a much stronger place this time around, but cautioned any response around border closures to have a compassionate element.
Victoria's border is now closed to all travellers from New South Wales, and some residents have complained that they are unable to make it home.
'We're confident that Victoria will work and find ways to bring people home to their home state,' Mr Hunt said, adding Australia had no 'domestic passports'.
Anyone who visited Bodriggy Brewing Company, Abbotsford, December 28 between 2.50pm and 5.30pm are instructed to get tested immediately and quarantine for 14 days from the exposure
PR maven Roxy Jacenko shared video footage she shot inside a local shopping centre, showing maskless, bongo-playing protesters brandishing signs and singing on an escalator
The ACT has shut out non-residents who have been in NSW's Northern Beaches, Greater Sydney, Wollongong and parts of the Central Coast unless they have an exemption.
Tasmania has barred anyone directly linked to the latest Victorian virus cases.
It has also declared Greater Sydney and the Wollongong area as medium-risk zones, requiring travellers to quarantine on arrival, while those from Sydney's northern beaches are barred from entering.
Queensland closed the border to Greater Sydney and will not reassess its stance until at least January 8.
But the Sunshine State this week urged residents to come home if they're travelling in Victoria or wider New South Wales, indicating more closures could be imminent.
People who have travelled to Victoria since December 21 will be banned from visiting Queensland's aged care facilities and hospitals.
On day one of new mandatory face covering rules, dozens of protesters swarmed a shopping centre in Bondi Junction, in the city's east, without wearing masks - holding signs and chanting 'I would rather be a human than a slave'
Health minister Brad Hazzard urged residents to wear a mask to keep themselves and the community safe, and from Monday those who don't will be fined $200 (pictured, maskwearers in Sydney)
The new restriction will be introduced from 1am on Monday and also applies to other vulnerable facilities like disability accommodation and prisons, chief health officer Jeannette Young said on Sunday.
'We're responding quickly to protect people in these facilities by restricting any visitors who have been in high-risk locations so we can keep them as safe as possible,' she said.
Queensland recorded zero new coronavirus cases on Sunday, with the state having gone 110 days without a community-acquired case.
Six people in total have died in Queensland since the virus was first identified this time last year.
The national death toll sits at 909 - including a whopping 820 Victorians following a horror second Covid wave earlier this year.
Meanwhile the global death tally has surpassed 1.8 million, as cases soar past 85 million.
Jacenko captioned the clips: 'Sorry, but people have died. Put a f***ing mask on. This does not sit well with me. Disgraceful... And what's more - totally disappointing to see kids being taught to have pure disregard for the advice of authorities'
https://news.google.com/__i/rss/rd/articles/CBMie2h0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmRhaWx5bWFpbC5jby51ay9uZXdzL2FydGljbGUtOTEwODM1MS9UaG91c2FuZHMtcG90ZW50aWFsbHktZXhwb3NlZC1DT1ZJRC1OU1ctVmljdG9yaWEtQldTLW91dGJyZWFrLXNwcmVhZHMuaHRtbNIBf2h0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmRhaWx5bWFpbC5jby51ay9uZXdzL2FydGljbGUtOTEwODM1MS9hbXAvVGhvdXNhbmRzLXBvdGVudGlhbGx5LWV4cG9zZWQtQ09WSUQtTlNXLVZpY3RvcmlhLUJXUy1vdXRicmVhay1zcHJlYWRzLmh0bWw?oc=5
2021-01-03 15:28:00Z
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