Coronavirus: Residents of 197 Sydney suburbs urged to get tested
Health officials have called for any residents living in 197 western Sydney suburbs who have any coronavirus symptoms to get tested as the state announced 12 new cases on Wednesday.
NSW Chief Health Officer Dr Kerry Chant urged people to come forward during a press conference on Wednesday after expressing concerns about “unlinked cases” seen over the past few days.
One of Wednesday’s new cases was locally acquired with no known source.
Dr Chant said testing needs to be ramped up in the city’s south and southwest, naming the local government areas of Cumberland, Parramatta, Fairfield, Bankstown, Liverpool and Campbelltown.
The councils include a total of 197 suburbs and almost 1.5 million residents.
“It's essential that we have high rates of testing across the state, but I would urge the communities in those local government areas in particularly with the most minimal of symptoms to please come forward and get tested,” Dr Chant said.
“It is essential that we find any, as yet, undetected chains of transmission and break them.”
NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian said the state remains on “high risk” because of the record amount of cases and deaths being recorded in Victoria.
“We know how one or two cases that get out of control can have a detrimental impact,” she said.
Coronavirus: Queensland and NSW borders tighten
People from NSW will soon be banned from Queensland while those returning from coronavirus-hit Victoria into NSW will be forced into two weeks of hotel quarantine.
Ms Berejiklian said entry to NSW from Victoria will be restricted to flights landing at Sydney Airport, except for border community residents with permits.
Those returning through the airport will from Friday be sent into 14 days of hotel quarantine at their own expense, alongside those returning from overseas.
"There should be no difference from a NSW citizen coming back from an overseas destination in terms of the costs they have to pay," Ms Berejiklian said on Wednesday.
"We will do whatever it takes to keep NSW safe, that has always been our position, and there's no doubt the situation in Victoria is top of mind for us.
"The health advice, as it should be, is ever-evolving."
Ms Berejiklian said the conditions around "critical service" travel to Sydney from Victoria, such as for a funeral, would also be tightened this week.
The NSW-Queensland border will be again shut from 1am on Saturday.
Ms Berejiklian said that decision was a matter for the Queensland government.
Coronavirus: NSW records 12 new cases
Of the 12 new cases in NSW, just one was in hotel quarantine.
There were two linked to the 105-person Thai Rock Wetherill Park restaurant cluster, two connected to The Apollo restaurant in Potts Point and six associated with the funeral cluster.
Two COVID-affected students from Greenway Park Public School were confirmed in Wednesday's case numbers following a pupil from Bonnyrigg High School on Tuesday. Both schools in Sydney's southwest reopened on Wednesday after cleaning.
The three students are linked to cases who attended the Mounties club in Mount Pritchard, connected in turn to the 46-person funeral cluster.
with AAP
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