Sydney COVID-19 Situation Leads to New Announced Restrictions

Hello, everyone. Today we are talking about the Sydney covid situation.

A new coronavirus restriction has been announced in Australia’s most populated state due to the added coronavirus outbreaks that were reported in the city’s Northern Beaches area. Restrictions have been tightened in greater Sydney (including the Blue Mountains), Central Coast and Wollongong, and northern Sydney’s Northern Beaches area until Wednesday in an attempt to curb this outbreak of Covid-19.

The Sydney covid situation might be getting worse so new tightened restrictions have been introduced which forbids people from having household gatherings with more than 10 people and outdoor venues such as hospitality venues and places of worship will be capped at 300 people until Wednesday.

The government has also advised its residents to stay at home and avoid social gatherings except having to leave for crucial reasons such as grocery shopping, work and study if so from home is not possible, emergency medical treatment, providing carer’s responsibilities and meeting other compassionate needs.

Gyms and restaurants will be closed while takeaway food joints will be an exception.

Sydney’s Avalon Cluster

State officials said that the recent outbreak in the Northern Beaches had allegedly been spread after one couple failed to isolate at home while awaiting coronavirus test results. The couple had reportedly visited a popular lawn bowls club and pub in the Northern Beaches suburb area of Avalon on 11th December which has now been acknowledged as the “super spreader” Avalon cluster event.

Tests have revealed that this outbreak is similar to a strain of Covid-19 found recently in isolated travellers. But authorities still do not know how it got into the community as the couple who were infected with the virus have no recent overseas travel history.

On the weekend, Sydney’s Northern Beach’s total COVID-19 count grew to 68 cases, with 28 new cases recorded in the previous 24 hours.

As of 21st December, 15 locally acquired cases of COVID-19 were recorded in NSW in the 24 hours to 8 pm last night, and an additional 8 overseas cases of returned travellers in hotel quarantine.
All 15 locally acquired cases are connected to the Avalon cluster. Investigations are being done to pinpoint into the source of this cluster, which now numbers 83.

The aftermath of the Avalon Cluster

The decision to tighten restrictions was taken after Covid-19 cases were reported in the city’s Northern Beaches and Greater Sydney area, which entered a five-day lockdown on Saturday. The five days of the restrictions have been described as a “tipping point” by epidemiologist Mary-Louise McLaws. He further mentions that if the outbreak goes across all of Australia, then it will need more tightening.

All of Sydney’s residents have been told to limit their activities over the next few days while those living in other parts of Sydney have been told to avoid the area. The NSW government has admonished all locals to wear masks and maintain social distance in public areas like supermarkets and churches and to be on “high alert”.

This recent outbreak has forced organizers of the Sydney to Hobart yacht race to cancel the event for the first time in its history and the neighbouring state of Victoria to declare all of the Sydney and the NSW central coast a covid-19 “red zone” and thereby closing its border for the residents of greater Sydney and the northern beach areas from midnight.

South Australia state also declared that all arrivals from the Greater Sydney area would have to quarantine for 14 days from midnight. The public who have been in the Northern Beaches area will be banned from the state entirely.
The restrictions which have been introduced in Greater Sydney and Northern Beach areas can only be lifted after the cases of community transmission are reported to be nil.

Speaking at a news conference, NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian advised people in the Sydney area to wear face masks in public although it was not obligatory. Earlier she pleaded with all residents to bound their activities over the next few days and stay at home unless you really have to go out.

Anyone in NSW with even the mildest COVID-19 symptoms, such as headache, fatigue, cough, sore throat, or runny nose, is asked to come onward immediately for testing, then isolate until they receive a negative result.

More than 300 COVID-19 testing locations have been set up across NSW, many of which will be open 24/7.

Australia went in to complete lockdown soon after its first case of coronavirus was reported in January 2020. Meanwhile, the country has reported 28,171 confirmed cases, 25,486 recovered cases, and a total of 908 deaths, according to an NSW tally.

The total number of cases in NSW till now is 4,582.38,578 tests were carried out till 8 pm last night. This is a record number compared with 28,210 in the previous 24 hours. This has been the highest amount of COVID-19 testing ever done in a single day.

So the Sydney covid situation seems to be getting worsen in few more weeks, so staying home and following the Government guidelines will help everyone to overcome this pandemic.