The Premier of New South Wales, Gladys Berejiklian, has warned Greater Sydney residents to be prepared for an increase in border restrictions if the Covid-19 eruption extends beyond the northern beaches.
Meanwhile travelers from NSW to Queensland will need a border pass to cross the border from 1am on Sunday morning and Western Australia has announced it is reclaiming its difficult border with NSW.
Official Statements
The Avalon cluster grew to 38 cases until 8pm on Friday and residents of the northern beaches have been forced under a lockdown until midnight on Wednesday.
Berejiklian said she expects to announce the same number, or more, of new cases on Sunday in 23 new confirmed cases reported in Saturday’s statistics.
She said health officials were monitoring the situation and would take action on Sunday if there was evidence that the virus had spread across the northern beaches.
“I should say, to put everybody on notice, we will be considering today after consulting, obviously, the relevant people, whether this time tomorrow we do revert back to some restrictions in greater Sydney,” Berejiklian said.
“I want to let everyone know that this is possible and that it will depend on the health advice we receive during the day.”
Restrictions Imposed In Norther Beach
The closures on the northern beaches are similar to the nationwide restrictions in March, where residents are allowed to leave their homes for important purposes such as shopping, exercise, work and medical care.
Gyms and places of worship are closed and reception areas are open only for trips.
The federal government has also urged residents of the major Sydney sub-county not currently under ban to cancel all unnecessary gatherings, departures and departures until midnight on Wednesday to give people the best chance to “have a merry Christmas”.
The premier said authorities did not want the virus to spread outside the northern beaches or increased cases to the point that it would lead to more serious action.
Preventive Measures And Advices
“So I would say to everyone in other parts of Sydney except the northern beaches, please limit your activity,” Berejiklian said. “Please do this honestly.
“If you are planning to spend the night out tonight, please consider changing those plans and staying home.
“We want people to stay home tonight and next night to make sure the virus doesn’t spread.”
Sydney planners to Hobart are yet to make a call about whether it will end the boat race for the first time in its 75-year history. At this stage, the race is still going on.
But Christmas travel plans for thousands of people have been disrupted.
Western Australia Scenario
On Sunday evening Western Australia Premier Mark McGowan said the WA’s “low risk” rating of the province had been upgraded to a “moderate risk”, which means we would restore the same strong measures seen earlier this year.
“This has been a difficult decision to make especially considering the time of year,” McGowan said. “I understand that this is going to be devastating news for people who want to reunite with their family over Christmas in NSW.”
He has criticized the NSW health authorities for taking the “whack-a-mole” approach to date.
“They seem to be stepping on a gym here, or a restaurant there,” he said. “This is causing misery all over Australia so they have to kill the virus in NSW.”
McGowan said the revised border measures of the WA came after a meeting of the Australian Health Protection Principal Committee, where the head of health nationwide received the latest advice.
The only people from NSW who can fly to WA after midnight on Saturday are those with special exemptions – such as health workers and essential goods.
Red And Orange Zones
Meanwhile, the Victorian government has warned all senior citizens of Sydney to be labeled “red zone” if the disease worsens, which means they will not be allowed to enter Victoria. That currently only applies to people who have been to the northern beaches.
People who were in Sydney but not on the northern beaches are now considered to be in the “orange” area, which means they have to be tested when they arrive in Victoria and isolate themselves until they get a negative test.
Victorian contact tracers have identified 70 basic connections to northern beach cases between travelers arriving between December and 17 December.
“We are still very concerned about the outbreak of NSW and the possibility of it overflowing beyond the northern beaches,” said Victorian Health Minister Martin Foley.
The state has 50 consecutive days without the local virus spreading and authorities want to protect the profits that have been hard hit after the second devastating wave.
The Queensland government said on Saturday it hopes to keep its border open with NSW but there will be a random inspection of people crossing the border.
