NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian said on Monday that while the 18 confirmed COVID cases were lower than Sunday’s 30, this did not mean that they would not “go up considerably”.
She said “the cases we are seeing today are a reflection of what may have occurred in the previous week and obviously there is a lag time on the time we are able to record these cases”.
NSW Chief Health Officer Dr Kerry Chant said the situation would improve once the infections were all household contacts, which wouldn’t happen until at least the end of the week.
“The restrictions came in towards the end of last week, there were other mitigations earlier on, but the cases we have now reflect exposures that occurred [last week],” Dr Chant said.
“Therefore it is important the community understands that the numbers are not expected to decline for another five days.”
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NSW has recorded 130 locally acquired cases reported since 16 June when the first case of the Bondi cluster was discovered. The cases were linked to a driver who transported international flight crew.
Two students at South Coogee Public School in Sydney’s eastern suburbs tested positive bringing the total at the school to four and resulting in the school going into isolation for 14 days. People who contracted COVID-19 at a West Hoxton birthday rose to 24 from the 30 who attended the party, and five new cases were documented, linked to the Great Ocean Foods wholesaler in Marrickville, traditionally a Greek district in Sydney’s inner west. There are 16 total cases linked to the store.
NSW Police have cracked down on people flouting public health orders, with 44 fines issued in the past 24 hours, mainly people failing to wear a mask.
