All of Greater Sydney will be now be required to wear face masks for at least another week, as the Bondi COVID-19 cluster grows to 21 people. As someone about to out herself as living in Sydney’s eastern suburbs, let me be the first to say: farrrrk.
NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian announced the expansion / extension of restrictions this morning, in response to the “increased level of concern”.
Everyone in greater Sydney and Wollongong (but barring the Central Coast and the Hunter) will be required to wear face masks on public transport, when going grocery shopping, or attending indoor events for at least another week, until June 30th at midnight.
“Unfortunately, a number of people who contracted the virus have done so in a very fleeting way, literally being within less than a metre [of] somebody but sharing the same airspace without any physical contact,” Berejiklian said.
This morning, NSW Health announced what is essentially 10 new cases, including a woman in her 20s from the eastern suburbs who was not a close contact of a previous case.
Anyone who attended Bondi Junction Westfield between June 12 and June 18, including the car parks, is now being asked to get a test.
However, only people with symptoms and those who have been to a specific exposure site at the listed times need to test and isolate. Anyone else who attended but does not have symptoms or attended a specific exposure site should get a test, but does not need to isolate. (That being said, those people are being asked to limit their movements.)
It’s a bit confusing, so here’s the breakdown of the 10 new cases figure: there are five new cases reported in today’s figures, but two of those were announced yesterday.
Per NSW Health, the three new cases reported today are:
- A woman in her 60s from the Illawarra. She is a close contact of a previously reported case and has been in isolation.
- A woman in her 40s from Sydney’s northern suburbs. She is a close contact of a previously reported case and has been in isolation.
- A woman in her 20s from the eastern suburbs. She is linked to the Bondi cluster. Further investigations are under way.
In addition, there are seven new cases reported overnight since 8pm, which will be included in tomorrow’s figures.
NSW recorded five locally acquired cases of COVID-19 in the 24 hours to 8pm last night, two of which were announced yesterday morning.
NSW Health has also been notified of seven new locally acquired cases overnight. These cases will be included in tomorrow’s numbers. pic.twitter.com/Oa4Wx7MIQw
— NSW Health (@NSWHealth) June 22, 2021
