- Another 10 new cases of COVID-19 have been recorded in Sydney, prompting NSW authorities to extend mask-wearing restrictions
- Eight of the 10 new cases are close contacts of previously reported infections, while one of the other cases is a casual contact of an infected person
- The other is a primary school student, and health authorities are still trying to work out how they’ve been infected
- NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian says more cases are expected to crop up in the coming weeks, but a lockdown isn’t necessary at this stage
- Meanwhile, in neighbouring Queensland, one new case of COVID-19 has been recorded, after a flight attendant tested positive after quarantining
Another 10 new cases of COVID-19 have been recorded in Sydney, prompting NSW authorities to extend mask-wearing restrictions.
NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian confirmed the Bondi outbreak had grown, with masks to now be worn indoors across all of the Greater Sydney area.
“As a result of what has occurred, the NSW Government will be extending the existing mask wearing provisions for an additional week,” Ms Berejiklian said.
State health authorities said eight of the 10 new cases recorded in the last 24 hours were close contacts of previously reported infections.
One of the cases was a casual contact who worked at Bondi Junction, where the man at the centre of the outbreak shopped last weekend, infecting at least one of person.
NSW Chief Health Officer Kerry Chant said the woman likely caught the highly virulent Delta strain of COVID-19 from fleeting contact with one of the infected persons.
“She is a worker at Bondi Junction and we believe she was exposed again, probably through fleeting contact with one of the infectious people as they moved around Bondi Junction,” Dr Chant said.
Dr Chant added anyone who attended Bondi Junction between June 12 to June 18 should isolate and get tested.
The CHO also confirmed that the other new case today involved a primary school student who isn’t a close contact of anyone infected.
“We want to provide advice and a mechanism to get testing because we want to find out how this child was exposed and establish that because cases where we don’t understand the acquisition means we have mystery cases,” Dr Chant said.
“And in this case, we don’t have preliminary information on a source for this child’s exposure so we are looking for an intermediate source.”
As a result of these cases, Premier Berejiklian said more cases were expected to crop up in the coming weeks.
However, Ms Berejiklian said a lockdown wasn’t necessary at this stage.
“At this stage because all but one case is linked to an existing case and that case was only discovered a few hours ago… that gives us a degree of confidence that what we have asked people to do matches the risk that is there at the moment,” Ms Berejiklian said.
“If that changes, if we suddenly have a number of unlinked cases and if we suddenly have them outside the geographic region they are concentrated in that we will obviously adjust the health advice and we will respond to that.”
Meanwhile, in neighbouring Queensland, one new case of COVID-19 has been recorded in the last 24 hours.
Local health authorities said a flight attendant had tested positive for COVID-19 after completing quarantine.
It’s believed the person may have picked up the virus while staying at a hotel, as genome sequencing has linked them to another infected cabin crew member.