Coronavirus warning for NSW ahead of warm, sunny weekend
Police will be out in force across Sydney this weekend, as COVID cases spike Photo: Getty
NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian has urged residents to be vigilant or face further restrictions as the state’s coronavirus numbers spike again.
NSW had 13 more COVID cases on Friday.
Six were connected to the Sydney CBD cluster at the City Tattersall’s Club, which has grown to 14.
Chief health officer Kerry Chant said the CBD outbreak had grown “significantly”, with further cases linked to it confirmed after NSW Health’s 8pm COVID-19 reporting cut-off. They will be reported in Saturday’s update.
Only one of Friday’s cases was a returned traveller in hotel quarantine. All of the others are from community transmission, including four of mystery origin.
NSW has several cases of unknown origin every week, albeit in low numbers. That prompted a warning from Ms Berejiklian ahead of expected spring-like weather this weekend.
“A lot of the places people normally flock to will be very busy on the weekend and the Deputy Commissioner [of police] and his team are on high alert to make sure that all authorities appreciate what could occur on the weekend if people don’t recognise the need to socially distance,” she said.
“Please enjoy the great outdoor weather, please make sure you do it in a COVID-safe way and let’s get through spring in some of the same way we have got through this winter.”
Tweet from @NSWHealth
NSW Health is treating 69 COVID-19 cases, including six in intensive care. Of most concern is the Sydney CBD outbreak, centred on the City Tattersalls Club, that has emerged this week.
Ms Berejiklian urged businesses to comply with coronavirus rules, as well as the public.
“Unfortunately it only takes a handful of people to not to do the right thing to have the number of cases suddenly soar,” she said.
“We are not in that position, but we have to be vigilant every single day and we have to state that these numbers will go up and down marginally for the next little while – and we need to make sure that they don’t get to a situation where we are having to impose further restrictions.”
Dr Chant said the CBD cluster outlined how dangerous the coronavirus was.
“It highlights how quickly COVID-19 can spread in the sense we have a seeding event, its amplification and then that has seeded other workplaces and lead to exposure in the community to a number of venues that we have announced,” she said.
There were more closures of schools and other venues in Sydney on Friday, following the apparent spread of COVID-19 into the city’s northern suburbs.
Ryde Secondary College in Sydney’s north-west was closed after a staff member tested positive for coronavirus.
The NSW Education Department said all staff and about 1000 students had been told to stay home while contact tracing began and the school was deep cleaned.
Ryde Secondary College is the latest Sydney school to close after a virus scare.
Meanwhile, Riverstone High School, Wyndham College and Schofields Public School have reopened after COVID-19 alerts.
NSW health authorities said the Holy Name Catholic Church in Wahroonga was closed for deep cleaning after a parishioner with COVID-19 attended mass on August 23.
NSW Health said further investigations showed a person with coronavirus visited PRP Diagnostic Imaging in Hornsby and Harris Farm in Willoughby
Holy Name Catholic Church at Wahroonga also shut as a precaution, after a parishioner who attended church on Sunday, August 23, tested positive.
Churchgoers who attended the same service are considered casual contacts and must isolate and get tested if even the mildest symptoms present.
-with AAP
