- A second person has tested positive for COVID-19 in Sydney, prompting NSW authorities to reintroduce mask-wearing rules for the wider community
- Health officials are also urging tens of thousands of people to get tested after a man in his 50s contracted COVID-19
- His wife has now tested positive as well, however, the NSW Government has shied away from enacting a full lockdown
- That’s despite the man being infectious for five days prior to testing positive, with contract tracing confirming he visited 19 venues across 14 suburbs
- The State’s Treasurer is one of the hundreds of people identified as close contacts of the case, all have been asked to get tested and self isolate
A second person has tested positive for COVID-19 in Sydney, prompting NSW authorities to reintroduce mask-wearing rules for the wider community.
Premier Gladys Berejiklian said the wife of a man who tested positive on Wednesday has now contracted the virus.
As a result, the number of people allowed to gather at homes has been capped at 20 while mask-wearing is now compulsory when inside public venues.
The rules apply to all Greater Sydney, the Illawarra, and Central Coast residents.
“People can still enjoy Mother’s Day. They can go about their business. Outdoors, you can do what you do now,” Gladys Berejiklian said.
“If you’re in an indoor setting, know that that’s high risk. Wear a mask. If you’re going to the supermarket, wear a mask. These are precautionary measures until experts find information,” she added.
It’s not known how the man in his 50s contracted the virus, as he hadn’t been overseas, however, health officials say he was infectious in the community for five days before testing positive.
Contact tracers have confirmed the infected man visited 19 venues across 14 different Sydney suburbs during that time, prompting a mass testing callout.
Health officials are asking tens of thousands of people who attended a growing list of venues to submit for a COVID-19 test, as well as anyone who is feeling unwell.
Advice for a number of venues of concern, which the public were alerted to yesterday, have been updated as risk assessments have been completed.
— NSW Health (@NSWHealth) May 6, 2021
The Premier said it is likely more people have contracted the virus but has stopped short of introducing a full lockdown.
“I’m happy for people to criticise me or question what we do. But the strongest message we send is business as usual for businesses. From time to time we’ll ask them to wear a mask. We’re in the middle of a pandemic,” she said,
“What happens if tomorrow we find 20 cases? People will say we haven’t gone hard enough. What if we find 10 cases on Monday? People will say we didn’t go hard enough,” the Premier argued.
“Our decision is based on advice. It’s proportionate. If this was Queensland or WA or anywhere else, they would have shut down the whole city, they would have shut down businesses,” she added.
NSW Treasurer Dominic Perrottet is among the hundreds of people identified as close contacts of the case, with all asked to self isolate and get tested.
Players and staff from the Sydney Swans and The Greater Western Sydney Giants are also undergoing testing after visiting several locations attended by the affected man.