New South Wales has recorded 18 new cases of COVID-19 overnight, including a new cluster in Croydon that is, so far, unable to be linked to the initial outbreak in Avalon.
Following the new cases, Premier Gladys Berejiklian has announced that household gatherings for New Year’s Eve have been capped at 5 people, instead of the previously announced 10.
The cluster includes six people from the same family, who are linked to a case in the inner western Sydney suburb of Croydon.
Croydon’s new cluster is of utmost concern to the government, with Premier Gladys Berejiklian clarifying that there are no known links to the current outbreak in the northern beaches.
Additionally, nine more cases have been recorded in connection to the Northern Beaches cluster.
There are also three new cases that were revealed on Tuesday that will be added to today’s count, bringing the total to 18. One of those cases is from a person in Wollongong, 90km south of Sydney in New South Wales.
Following yesterday’s Wollongong case, a number of venues including the city’s main shopping centre, as well as two churches have been put on alert.
Anyone who visited the St Nektarios Greek Orthodox Church between 9-10.15am on December 27, or the The Holy Cross Greek Orthodox Church, between 10.30-11am on December 27 is urged to get tested immediately and self-isolate until they are contacted by NSW Health with further advice.
Additionally, anyone who visited the following venues is urged to get tested and self-isolate until they receive a negative result.
- Figtree Grove Shopping Centre, 19 Princes Hwy, December 21, 12.30pm-1.30pm and December 23, 8.45am-9am, December 24, 6.45am-9.30am.
- Proust Optical, Shop 49, Figtree Grove Shopping Centre, 19 Princes Hwy, December 21, 9.30am-5pm and December 23 9.30am-2pm
- Wollongong Central, December 23, 3.30-4pm
The news comes as Sydneysiders are forced to change their New Year’s Eve plans to adhere to new COVID restrictions that only allow 5 people per household instead of 10 as previously announced.
