There were no new Wollongong cases of COVID-19 in the overnight numbers on New Year's Eve, but the state's Chief Health Officer has warned that there could be a lag in the region's test results.
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NSW 10 new COVID-19 community cases in the 24 hours to 8pm on Wednesday which were found amid almost 28,000 tests.
Five of the cases have a direct link to the Avalon cluster, three were members of the Croydon cluster, one was linked to an earlier patient transportation cluster and one from Western Sydney was under investigation, with a chance it was an old case.
Gladys Berejiklian thanked the community for the high testing rates - which were up by 10,000 tests compared with the previous day - and said it was pleasing the case numbers had gone down.
"Pleasingly we've seen the numbers go down today, but it's very volatile, they're going to bounce around," the Premier said.
She said people needed to reduce mobility and people they were mixing with, and should be wearing a mask any time they were visiting somewhere indoors.
NSW Chief Health Officer Dr Kerry Chant also praised the increased testing numbers but urged the community to "strive for even higher testing rates".
"If you have any symptoms today, do not go to any functions or social events," she said.
Dr Chant thanked people in Wollongong for "coming out in vast numbers" and acknowledged there would be a slight lag between today's numbers and test results.
She said she was expecting more Wollongong test results to come in over the next 24 hours, which may give more of "a sense of assurance" to health officials.
"In terms of Wollongong, we'll have a better picture over the next 24 to 48 hours but we can't give the all clear," she said.
"So everyone down there needs to be vigilant."
There were seven new cases found in hotel quarantine in the 24 hours to 8pm Wednesday.
Dr Chant listed several new venues, all within Sydney, that were of concern.
Anyone who visited any of the following venues at the listed times is considered a close contact who must get tested immediately and isolate for 14 days regardless of the result.
- Monkey Mania Bankstown Sports Club on Monday, 28 December, from 10am to 12pm
- Bankstown La Piazza on Monday, 28 December, from 12pm to 2:00pm
- Bass Hill Hair Management on Thursday, 24 December, from 11.15am to 12.30pm
- Venus nail salon in Bass Hill on Thursday, 24 December, from 12.30pm to 1pm
- Anytime Fitness at Kings Park on Sunday, December 20, from 9.30am to 11.45am
A full list of venues and public transport routes of concern throughout NSW, and the associated public health advice, is available from the NSW Government website at https://www.nsw.gov.au/covid-19/latest-news-and-updates.
People are urged to check this list before they attend any gatherings or social events, and are reminded that new restrictions are in place for New Year's Eve.
For Greater Sydney (including Wollongong, Central Coast and Blue Mountains) household gatherings are limited to 5 visitors (including children). The limit for outdoor gatherings has been reduced from 50 to 30.
Restrictions for the northern zone of the Northern Beaches remain the same but for the southern zone of the Northern Beaches household gatherings are limited to 5 visitors from within your zone (including children).
People are encouraged to limit non-essential gatherings over the New Year period where possible to further minimise the risk of transmission in the community.
Additional enhanced measures now in place to help contain spread, include:
- All close contacts of a case should have a COVID-19 test when they are first identified as a close contact, regardless of symptoms, again if they get any symptoms, and again just before the end of their 14-day isolation period (at day 12).
- Household contacts of people identified as close contacts of a case should isolate until the close contact receives a negative test and is effectively isolating from the rest of the household.
Meantime, Victoria has reintroduced some restrictions after three new community cases were found in the state yesterday.
Masks will again be mandatory indoors and people can only have 15 - not 30 - visitors for New Years Eve.
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