Greater Sydney and the surrounds could remain in lockdown for weeks as authorities battle to deal with the dramatic spike in COVID-19 cases after 112 new NSW cases were reported on Monday, 84 in southwest Sydney.
NSW Deputy Premier John Barilaro warned “we haven’t hit the peak” and indicated that lockdown would be extended as people entered their third week of restrictions.
A joint NSW and federal government relief package to help people and businesses is set to be announced on Tuesday, with federal government COVID disaster weekly payments to reportedly rise to $600 a week, up from $500, for those who have lost 20 hours of work or more with JobKeeper-style payments expected for businesses.
School students will start virtual learning with only children of essential workers to be supervised at school.
Exposure sites are growing in the city, especially around Sydney’s southwest with various venues in the spotlight, including Ware Street Medical Practice, iMedic iCare Medical Centre, Neeta City Shopping Centre and Westpac – all at Fairfield, as well as various shops and 99 Bikes at Bondi Junction, People who visited these sites must get tested and isolate for 14 days, regardless of the result.
READ MORE: NSW records 112 cases of COVID-19 with increased calls for Melbourne-styled lockdown
Two of the three local/interstate acquired cases were announced yesterday afternoon. The third is another member of their household who has been isolating throughout their infectious period. [2/2]
— Victorian Department of Health (@VicGovDH) July 12, 2021
Virus slips into Victoria
Victoria recorded one new case of COVID-19 on Tuesday which is linked to a Victorian family of four in the City of Hume, Melbourne’s north. The total number of active cases in the state is now at 20 with two locally acquired cases of the virus and one interstate-acquired infection.
Three members of the family from Hugh flew into Melbourne from Sydney on 4 July on a red permit, requiring to self-isolate for 14 days and get tested, and the fourth member drove back on 8 July.
Two of the family members were announced as positive cases, however health authorities do not believe that the flight or Melbourne Airport is a risk as the three family members tested negative on 6 July.
Two Sydney removalists were also confirmed to be positive after being in Melbourne for two days to deliver furniture in the City of Hume, and pick up another load in the City of Maribyrnong.
The two families who had contact with the removalists are now isolating.
The Ariele Apartments complex on Thomas Holmes St in Maribyrnong, the home of one of the families, has been listed as a tier-1 site from 1pm and midnight on 8 July and tier-2 from 9=12 July. Residents of the complex have received a letter asking that those who were in the residential part of the complex during the exposure period on 8 July to immediately isolate.
“The public health assessment has identified a risk of transmission in the apartment complex, and that any person who was inside any residential parts of the building from 1pm on Thursday 8 July may be at risk of developing COVID-19 infection,” the letter said, pointing to the foyer or lobby, stairwells, the elevator, residential floors and car park as possible exposure sites as the removalists had spent some time in those areas.
“Residents of Ariele Apartments will be prioritised for testing at the Melbourne Showgrounds (Drive Through) testing site from 9am to 8pm on Tuesday,” the letter said.
Exposure sites are expected to grow in Victoria.
Victoria’s COVID-19 response commander Jeroen Weimar said on Monday that the removalists, who had left Victoria on 9 July, then travelled to South Australia before returning to NSW. The process of interviewing them, according to Mr Weimar, had been “complex and challenging”. On the way to South Australia the stopped at the town of Ballan, 80 km north-west of Melbourne, to visit a Mobil service station on the Western Freeway from 5-7pm on 8 July and at McDonald’s on the Western Freeway on the same date and times. People who visited these areas are urged to get tested and isolate for 14 days.
Craigieburn Central has also been listed as a tier-1 exposure site from 5.28pm to 6.38pm on 10 July, while the broader Craigieburn Central Shopping Centre has been listed as a tier 3 site.
Metro Petroleum at Broadmeadows was listed as a tier 2 site between 1.19pm and 2.04pm on July 11, while a Qantas flight from Launceston to Melbourne remains a tier 2 site.
Reported yesterday: 2 new local cases, 1 case acquired interstate and no new cases acquired overseas.
– 14,384 vaccine doses were administered
– 23,470 test results were received
More later: https://t.co/lIUrl1hf3W#COVID19Vic #COVID19VicData [1/2] pic.twitter.com/iQzE0oJUc8— Victorian Department of Health (@VicGovDH) July 12, 2021
