NSW records 12 new coronavirus cases as Gladys Berejiklian warns seven-day lockdown might be extended to include the ENTIRE city from as early as today and 500 residents of Elan apartment block are forced to stay in building
New South Wales has recorded 12 new cases of Covid-19 as millions of Sydney-siders woke up to the first day of a week-long lockdown.
NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian confirmed 29 infections were recorded on Saturday with 17 cases having already been announced on Friday.
Just one of the cases is unlinked to previous infections, health authorities said.
Ms Berejiklian warned the current lockdown restrictions imposed in several Sydney areas may be extended and she would be holding a crisis cabinet meeting later on Saturday.
‘This variant of the virus is contagious and transmissible like no other variant that we’ve seen, and that is why the New South Wales Government will take any necessary action it needs to take,’ she said.
‘I am putting everybody on notice that we may need to extend that during the course of the day or tomorrow. But that will be based on health advice and decisions taken by the Cabinet Crisis meeting.’
It was also announced that residents in the City of Sydney, Woollahra, Waverley, Randwick, Canada Bay, Inner West and Bayside are unable to leave Metropolitan Sydney.
New South Wales has recorded 12 new cases of Covid-19 as millions of Sydney-siders woke up to the first day of a week-long lockdown
Residents who live or work in Woollahra, Waverley, Randwick and the City of Sydney council areas will not be able to leave home for a week except for essential purposes.
These include work or education, shopping, providing care or outside exercise.
The order took effect from 11.59pm on Friday and will last until 11.59pm on Friday, July 2 – after it was revealed the outbreak had climbed to 65 infections.
Dr Kerry Chant said there were several new venues potentially exposed to the virus because only 12 of the 29 new infections were in isolation while infectious.
Dr Chant said there had been a workplace outbreak with a delivery driver from the Great Ocean Foods business in Cadogan Street in Marrickville.
The alert for the venue is from Monday 21st to Friday 25th.
‘We want people to do is anyone who received a delivery from Great Ocean Foods from Monday 21st to Friday 25th June – that person, plus their household members must immediately isolate and get tested,’ Dr Chant said.
An alert has also been put out for the Cheers Bar & Grill on 561 George Street on Sunday June 20 from 1.45am to 3.30am – with anybody attending the venue at that time to get tested and isolate along with their household contacts.
The same rules apply to the Rebel Bankstown Shopping Centre at North Terrace from Thursday June 24 between 3.45pm and 4.30pm.
Residents have been listed as casual contacts if they had visited the Sydney Palamo Express Cafe on June 21 from 1.50-2.10pm and the Casual Oporto in the Casual Central Shopping centre on June 22 from 12.50 to 12.55pm.
The premier said residents should start preparing for the lockdown to extend.
‘I think people should prepare for the news that we have given them to date which is the situation is worsening beyond what we would have liked to have seen this morning, and the reason for that is that the new exposure sites are outside of those areas of concern we had highlighted,’ she said.
Meanwhile NSW Health has turned its attention to one of the city’s tallest apartment buildings, the 40-storey Elan complex in the heart of Kings Cross, with all 500 residents being tested and forced to isolate after a confirmed case.
More to come.