- States across the nation are reimplementing travel restrictions as locally contracted cases of COVID-19 in New South Wales continue to emerge
- 12 locally transmitted cases of the virus were recorded in NSW on Thursday, bringing the current total to 17
- Under the renewed restrictions any travellers from NSW entering Queensland, Western Australia or the Northern Territory must quarantine for 14 days
- Meanwhile, the Tasmanian Government is halting all incoming passengers from Sydney’s Northern Beaches, where the cluster is currently centred
- Residents of the Northern Beaches are currently being asked to remain indoors while contact tracers attempt to locate the source of the cluster and any other as-yet unrecorded case
States across the nation are reimplementing travel restrictions as locally contracted cases of COVID-19 in New South Wales continue to emerge.
12 locally transmitted cases of the virus were recorded in NSW on Thursday, bringing the current total to 17.
The cluster appears to be centred around Sydney’s Northern Beaches and is currently believed to have originated at an RSL club in the suburb of Avalon.
Immediately following the new cases, WA premier Mark McGowan convened an emergency meeting of the state’s health officials and quickly brought back the quarantine measures late on Thursday night.
“I understand these changes will cause frustration and uncertainty for some people and be very upsetting for many families looking to reunite and spend Christmas together … This has been a difficult decision to make, but we need to follow the health advice and do what is in the best interest of all Western Australians,” McGowan said in a public address.
Under WA’s restrictions all incoming travellers from NSW will need to quarantine for 14 days, and all those who have arrived since December 11 will need to take a COVID-19 test and self-isolate until a negative result is confirmed.
Overnight Queensland and the Northern Territory have followed suit by reintroducing similar restrictions on incoming passengers from NSW. Tasmania has gone a step further and is now restricting any residents from the Northern Beaches from entering the state at all.
Meanwhile, back in Sydney residents of the Northern Beaches are currently being asked to remain indoors while contact tracers attempt to locate the source of the cluster and any other as-yet unrecorded cases.