News by Kaitlyn Hudson-O’Farrell, James O’Doherty, Evin Priest 22nd Dec 2020 7:19 AM
Premium Content The race to save Christmas from COVID-19 is on with less than 24 hours until a decision is made on whether to extend or lift a lockdown on Northern Beaches residents. There were 15 new locally-acquired coronavirus cases reported in NSW and Premier Gladys Berejiklian is expected to give another update at 11am AEDT. Follow the latest news and information below:
POLICE PROBE NORTHERN BEACHES LOCKDOWN BREACH Police are investigating a COVID restrictions breach after a Northern Beaches local visited a leisure centre on the state s south coast.
A teenage girl has tested positive to COVID-19 in Victoria after returning from Sydney s Northern Beaches - where there is a cluster of 91 cases.
Victorian Health Minister Martin Folley said a 15-year-old girl from the Moonee Valley local government area in Melbourne s north-west tested positive to the disease on Monday. The young person had family connections to the Northern Beaches area and had been exposed to multiple high-risk exposure sites, Mr Folley said on Tuesday. The Avalon RSL, the Avalon Bowling Club, the fish and chip shop that was listed. Quite a range. The young person travelled home from Sydney with their parent.
NSW has recorded 15 new coronavirus cases in the last 24 hour reporting period. The locally acquired cases are all linked to the Avalon cluster. NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian says more than 38,000 people came forward for testing. It comes after the state recorded 30 new coronavirus cases yesterday, of which 28 were linked to the Northern Beaches cluster while two were under investigation. Authorities have issued a late night health warning for locations across Sydney as a mad rush to exit the city ramps up today. Sydney Airport was packed with travellers overnight as people rushed to flee the city. As of Sunday midnight, all states and territories have moved to restrict their borders from NSW residents travelling from Greater Sydney.
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A new, potentially highly transmissible strain of the SARS-CoV-2 virus detected in hotel quarantine in NSW is a cause for concern, say experts who predict it will continue to spread around the globe.
But Chief Medical Officer, Professor Paul Kelly, who was appointed to the role on Monday, said there was no need to introduce tougher measures on returned travellers.
Chief Medical Officer Professor Paul Kelly said on Monday there was no need to stop people from England returning to Australia.
Credit:Alex Ellinghausen Everyone coming from the UK is going into 14 days of hotel quarantine and they are of no risk as that quarantine works so successfully, as it has done for the most part here in Australia since the beginning, he said.
Urgent alert for 24 new Sydney venues as cluster spreads further from the northern beaches and it s revealed five people got infected at CBD Christmas party - while devil in the detail of NSW tests means outbreak could be worse than first thought
Among the new venues are Avalon Beach RSL and Coffee Brothers Mona Vale
Covid has spread to venues across Sydney, with Kirribilli Hotel in Milsons Point
NSW recorded 15 cases on Monday - all linked to the northern beaches cluster
38,000 people got tested on Sunday, with results not known for up to 72 hours
Five cases confirmed in a CBD workplace have been linked to the Avalon cluster