Victoria warns its residents not to fly to Sydney because they may not be able to return

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Victoria warns its residents not to fly to Sydney because they may not be able to return 

Victorians have been warned not to travel to Sydney because they might not be able to return without undergoing 14 days of quarantine.

Sydney’s Covid-19 outbreak has grown to 28 cases overnight after testing on Thursday identified 10 more cases linked to a cluster on the city’s northern beaches.

Victorian Health Minister Martin Foley ‘strongly advised’ Victorians not to travel to Sydney on Friday amid the current outbreak.

Sydney’s Covid-19 outbreak has grown to 28 cases after extensive testing overnight and on Friday morning. Pictured: Travellers at Sydney Airport on Friday morning

Victorian Health Minister Martin Foley (pictured) has ‘strongly advised’ Victorians not to travel to Sydney

‘As conditions are expected to deteriorate you may not be able to re-enter Victoria without undertaking quarantining for 14 days,’ he said. 

‘Don’t come from Sydney if you’re planning to come to Melbourne. Don’t go to Sydney if you’re planning to go back to Melbourne. It won’t be a holiday. It won’t be a Christmas.’

He said Victorians have worked extremely hard to reach 49 days of no community transmission.

‘We will not put that at risk,’ Mr Foley continued.   

‘We will take all the steps the evidence tells us to to protect that. We will continue to work closely with NSW and interstate colleagues to protect the hard earned gain and we will make sure Victorians have a COVID-safe Christmas but it will be a Christmas like no other.’ 

All travellers from NSW must have a permit if they want to enter Victoria. Permits however will not be issued to residents from the northern beaches.

‘The risk profile, the epidemiology, changes rapidly, as the NSW government, which we had confidence in, will get on top of this.’ 

Thousands of people queued for testing at sites across Sydney’s northern beaches with many spending four hours waiting in line for a Covid-19 swab. Pictured: A pop-up testing clinic at Avalon Recreation Centre on Friday

Premier Gladys Berejiklian has ordered 270,000 residents from the Spit Bridge to Palm Beach to stay at home for at least three days

Premier Gladys Berejiklian has ordered 270,000 residents from the Spit Bridge to Palm Beach to stay at home for at least three days while officials scramble to identify the source of the cluster, although there isn’t an official lockdown in place.

‘We don’t want to go down the mandatory path but we will if we have to,’ the premier said in a press briefing on Friday morning as she urged everyone in Greater Sydney to be on ‘high alert’ amid fears of a mass spread.

There are no other new restrictions in place for the rest of the city, but Ms Berejiklian has warned people they would be ‘crazy’ not to wear masks in crowded places such as churches and supermarkets.

The mystery outbreak was identified on Wednesday afternoon when a couple in their 60s and 70s tested positive having visited nine venues across the northern beaches instead of self-isolating while awaiting results.

NSW Chief Health Officer Dr Kerry Chant said the cluster of cases are all linked so far to an event at the Avalon RSL on Friday, December 11, and a drinking session at the local bowling club on Sunday, December 13.

Of the cluster, eight cases attended the RSL last Friday, sixteen cases went to the bowling club on Sunday, two cases attended both pubs and two further cases had links to either events.

Genomic testing has confirmed the Covid strain is of American origin and likely entered the country from the United States. 

Ms Berejiklian revealed on Friday that a US flight crew member attended several ‘venues’ after breaching isolation rules ‘a few weeks ago’.

Air crew will now be forced into two designated quarantine hotels from next Tuesday – rather than spread across ’25 to 26′ locations as they currently are.

Ground zero: A party at Avalon RSL on Friday, December 11 has been linked to the virus outbreak on the northern beaches

Likewise, a bus driver who ferries international air crew to their hotels tested positive earlier in the week

The Avalon pub events both occurred after the NSW government eased restrictions – reopening dance floors to 50 people and doubling the number of patrons in venues.

A member of the band Nothing Too Serious tested positive after performing at the Avalon RSL on December 11.

He then attended two gigs elsewhere in the city, raising fears the virus has been ‘seeded’ across the greater metropolitan area.

The man was on stage at Penrith RSL in the Sydney’s far west between 1pm and 6pm on December 13 and at the Kirribilli Club in the city’s north on December 14.

A divorced couple living in Avalon on the northern beaches were among the first northern beaches to test positive to the virus on Wednesday.

Authorities fear the divorced couple could have spread the virus throughout the beaches, amid claims they failed to self-isolate after being tested.

While infectious, the female attended the local change rooms at Palm Beach. One or both went to cafes, a Woolworths supermarket and a local pie shop.

One had travelled to the ‘Bowlo’ on Sunday. An aged care worker was reportedly on the dance floor that afternoon and has since tested positive.

People line up to be tested at a pop-up COVID-19 testing facility at Avalon, on Sydney’s northern beaches on November 18

Pop up drive thru Covid testing queue for cars and people down a closed Avalon Parade at Avalon Beach

Sydney’s extraordinary contact tracing system – which has been described as ‘gold standard’ – has linked 25 of the 28 cases to two events at the Avalon RSL and the Avalon Bowlo, with the others under investigation. 

Christmas plans are now up in the air for millions of NSW residents, with other states and territories imposing travel restrictions.  

Tasmania and Victoria have banned Northern Beaches residents, Queensland and the Northern Territory have re-introduced hotel quarantine for people from that area and Western Australia is making all NSW residents self-isolate. 

South Australia and the ACT are asking arrivals from the Northern Beaches to get tested and self-isolate and South Australia Premier Steven Marshall said he is considering banning residents from the Northern Beaches on Friday afternoon. 

Travel restrictions imposed by states before Christmas due to Northern Beaches Covid-19 outbreak

Western Australia – Anyone who enters WA from NSW must self-isolate for 14 days. Those already in WA must self-quarantine for 14 days, starting from the date they were last on the northern beaches.

South Australia – Anyone in SA who has recently arrived from NSW should follow NSW Health advice by self-isolating for 14 days and getting tested if they have visited any of the venues on NSW’s health alert list.

Northern Territory – Anyone who enters NT from Sydney’s Northern Beaches Council area will need to undergo 14 days of supervised quarantine.

Queensland – Anyone who enters Queensland and has been on Sydney’s northern beaches since December 11 must get tested and self-isolate for 14 days since their last visit to the region. 

From Saturday, all people who have been on the northern beaches and want to enter Queensland will be forced into hotel quarantine and pay for it.

ACT – Anyone who enters the ACT and has been on Sydney’s northern beaches since December 11 must get tested and self-isolate.

Victoria – Anyone who enters Victoria from Sydney’s northern beaches must get tested and self-isolate for 14 days. From Saturday Northern Beaches residents will be banned with a permit system in place.

Tasmania – Anyone who has visited the Northern Beaches Council area since December 11, as well as the Kirribilli Club, Penrith RSL and Gannons Park in Peakhurst at various times between December 11 and December 14, is barred from entering Tasmania. 

Click here to see NSW places on alert 

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Source: Daily Mail Australia | World News

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