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Subscriber only Queensland authorities can t rule out slamming the border shut on greater Sydney, as NSW probes whether airline crew could be behind the growing Northern Beaches COVID-19 outbreak. The Christmas plans of Queenslanders hoping to reunite with southern relatives hung in the balance on Friday night, as NSW authorities put Sydney on its highest alert and urged residents to wear a mask. Queensland Chief Health Officer Jeannette Young couldn t say on Friday whether the state s border would shut to greater Sydney before Christmas, warning further hot spots could be declared should community transmission grow. The NSW government was forced to bring in new measures after an international airline crew breached quarantine restrictions, with all crews now required to isolate at two designated hotels near the airport under police guard.
On the beaches there were long queues at pop-up clinics, including Michelle and Geoff Porter who had been at the Avalon bowlo gig on Sunday. I was doing handstands, I licked the floor at some point and now I m not sure that was a good idea, Mr Porter told the
Elsewhere in town, however, the scene was positively bacchanalian. At the Ivy s Uccello restaurant, diners were toasting the end of the working year with good champagne and lobster tagliatelle. On a sticky, sunny day, office Christmas parties raged long into the afternoon.
Premier Gladys Berejiklian with Health Minister Brad Hazzard, Police Minister David Elliott and Chief Health Officer Dr Kerry Chant.
Northern Beaches coronavirus cluster expected to grow as residents spend first night in lockdown sbs.com.au - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from sbs.com.au Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
The Northern Beaches are in Sydney is being locked down from 5pm today until midnight on Wednesday, as New South Wales Premier Gladys Berejiklian announced another 13 cases from testing on Friday. Ms Berejiklian said there were 23 cases identified from testing in the 24 hours to 8pm on Friday, 10 of which had already been reported. Twenty-one of those cases were locally acquired and linked to the Avalon cluster, and two remain under investigation.
ANNA KUCERA/Sydney Morning Herald
Sydney s northern beaches coronavirus cluster has spread south, with an alert issued for the Cronulla RSL. The Premier said it is likely that the state will see a repeat of those numbers across this 24 hours.