Sydney’s Bondi cluster grows to 9 – New indoors mask mandate

Possibility of more ‘heavy-handed’ measures flagged by Premier Berejiklian

Cars line up for Covid-19 testing at Bondi in Sydney on Thursday, after the first locally transmitted coronavirus case of the cluster was recorded. Sydney's east cluster has now grown to nine. Photo: AAP/Dean Lewins

20 June 2021 1:37pm

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The COVID national focus has shifted from Victoria to New South Wales in the past week, with Sydney’s Bondi cluster having risen to nine cases.

Two cases of local transmission were reported on Sunday, along with three overseas acquired cases.

But NSW Health recorded also two additional cases on the day following the initial announcement, which will be officially included in Monday’s tally.

The latter two are both from Sutherland Shire and close contacts of known cases.

At the beginning of the outbreak, on Thursday, Premier Gladys Berejiklian enforced a mask mandate on public transport for Greater Sydney and the Blue Mountains.

As per the latest announcement, from Sunday 4pm the mandate extends to the Wollongong and Shellharbour local government areas.

Meanwhile, a new public health order requiring people to comply with mask-wearing indoors in public settings will apply in seven local government areas until Thursday 24 July.

City of Sydney
Waverley
Randwick
Canada Bay
Inner West
Bayside
Woollahra

A total of 26,000 COVID tests were recorded on Saturday, with health authorities deeming the number insufficient.

People who do not have symptoms and have not been at the specific exposure venues at the listed times do not need to isolate, however everyone is strongly urged return a negative test are strongly urged to avoid gatherings and minimise their movements –

— NSW Health (@NSWHealth) June 20, 2021

The state’s Chief Health Officer Dr Kerry Chant said she would like the daily tests tally for Sunday to climb beyond 30,000.

Premier Gladys Berejiklian supported the call to testing for the next few days, while pointing out that further restrictions are not off the table.

“My strongest message to the community is the next few days are critical. We have held off on being more heavy-handed than what we are in relation to what we’re asking people to do but that will depend on what the cases, if any emerge in the next few days. We just ask everybody not to be complacent,” she said.

“If cases continue to emerge in the community, we will need to consider going further.”