With just four days until Christmas, NSW residents are facing a nervous wait to learn if the northern beaches cluster has spread, after every state and territory moved to block residents from entering.
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The government has imposed a number of restrictions on Sydney and surrounding regions, including the Wollongong LGA, Blue Mountains and Central Coast, which will remain in place until 11.59pm on Wednesday.
The new measures come as the total number of known coronavirus cases in NSW suspected to be linked to the northern beaches cluster has risen to 70, though Premier Gladys Berejiklian remains hopeful the outbreak can be contained.
Under the restrictions:
- No more than 10 people are allowed at household gatherings and patrons will need to maintain a four-square metre distancing at venues.
- Up to 300 people will be permitted at places of worship and hospitality venues, while singing and chanting at indoor venues is banned, and dance floors will only be allowed at weddings.
- People are also being urged to wear masks until Wednesday and to avoid visiting any vulnerable friends, relatives or aged-care facilities until Christmas Eve.
Meantime, every other state and territory over the weekend rushed to bar travellers from greater Sydney and the Central Coast from entry.
Some also blacklisted visitors from Wollongong or the entire Illawarra/Shoalhaven.
Northern beaches residents remain under stay-at-home orders last imposed back in March at the height of the COVID-19 crisis.
People are permitted to leave their homes for five basic reasons: to seek medical care, exercise, grocery shop, work or for compassionate care reasons.
Travel bans imposed
Western Australia reimposed a hard border with NSW on Saturday.
People travelling from greater Sydney and the Central Coast will not be able to enter other states from Monday.
If they do, they will have to undergo 14 days of hotel quarantine in most states, or quarantine at home in South Australia and the ACT.
Only those from Greater Sydney will have to quarantine for two weeks on arrival in Tasmania.
Greater Sydney stretches from the Hawkesbury, Hornsby and the northern beaches regions in the north, to the Blue Mountains in the west, and the Wollondilly, Campbelltown and Sutherland regions in the south.
Travellers from the Wollongong local government area also cannot enter SA, while the NT, ACT, and Queensland have barred the entire Illawarra/Shoalhaven region.
There is a 24 hour grace period for Queensland and Victorian residents returning home, with authorities allowing them to quarantine inside their own houses.
Acting National Chief Medical Officer Paul Kelly on Sunday defended the way states and territories responded in restricting interstate travel.
"It's unfortunate that this is happening but we need to put safety and health concerns at the forefront," he said.
"Those on the northern beaches of Sydney, my heart goes out to you. This is a tricky time in the lead-up to Christmas but please stay the course."
New alerts issued for venues
NSW has issued more alerts for venues on Sydney's northern beaches and one in Sydney's eastern suburbs which were visited by confirmed cases of COVID-19.
"The one positive is we still have not seen evidence of massive seeding outside the northern beaches community and our aim, of course, is to keep that in place," Ms Berejiklian told reporters on Sunday.
On Monday, more health alerts were issued for gyms, cafes restaurants, a nursery and sports centre at Freshwater, Mona Vale, Newport, Warriewood, in the north and a cafe at Double Bay in the east.
NSW Labor transport spokesman Chris Minns says it's time the NSW government learned from other states and made face masks mandatory on public transport.
"It is the cheapest, easiest, safest way of protecting the people of NSW," he said on Monday.
NSW Health Minister Brad Hazzard says everyone in Sydney should be wearing masks when shopping, on public transport or when out in the general community but has declined to mandate it.
"Retail workers have been essential workers during the pandemic, I urge everyone to show them respect and wear a mask before entering shops and keep your social distance," he said.
Sydney's northern beaches remains the centre of the cluster, but NSW Health's new list of cases on Sunday showed the virus had spread further across the city.
Outside the outbreak epicentre, there were warnings for locations in Artarmon, Bondi Junction, Cronulla, Double Bay, Darling Point, Erskineville, Eveleigh, Homebush, Kirribilli, Lane Cove, Newtown, Peakhurst, Penrith, St Peters, Riverstone, Rosebury, Surry Hills, Terry Hills, Turramurra and Woolloomooloo.
Outside Sydney, Forster and Raymond Terrace are also on the warning list.
For more information see nsw.gov.au/covid-19
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Australian Associated Press
