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NationalCoronavirus pandemic

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Coronavirus as it happened: Sydney's western suburbs cluster grows as NSW records zero new local cases; Victoria records three

Megan Gorrey, Georgina Mitchell and Ben Grubb
Updated ,first published

Summary

  • NSW has no new cases of community transmission on Monday, with seven fresh cases in hotel quarantine. Two cases of community transmission, detected after 8pm last night, are linked to the Berala cluster and will be included in tomorrow's numbers.
  • Victoria has recorded three new cases of local transmission from 32,468 tests, with an additional positive case in a returned traveller in hotel quarantine.
  • Anyone who attended BWS Berala between December 22 and December 31 should get tested and isolate for 14 days, no matter the result. The Berala cluster originated from a close contact of a health worker who went to BWS for a short time on December 20 and did not have any symptoms. 
  • Masks are now mandatory in Greater Sydney, on the Central Coast, and in the Blue Mountains and Wollongong. There is a $200 fine for those who don't comply, but the Chief Health Officer has urged residents to leave enforcement to police.

That's a wrap: Recapping the day's developments

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That's a wrap on our live updates today, thanks for joining us. Will be covering the coronavirus pandemic again on Tuesday. In case you're just checking in, here's what you might have missed:

We'll be back tomorrow morning with coronavirus updates as they happen. Good night.

Fresh alerts issued for Sydney Woolworths, liquor store and RSL

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Customers who visited a Woolworths supermarket in Sydney's south-west over a 10-day period have been urged to get tested for coronavirus and self-isolate for 14 days.

NSW Health updated advice for the supermarket and liquor store at the centre of a growing COVID-19 cluster late on Monday. They also added an alert for an RSL in Bardwell Park in Sydney's south.

Anyone who attended Woolworths Berala on Woodburn Road from Monday, December 21, through to Thursday, December 31, should get tested immediately and self-isolate until they receive a negative result.

There has also been updated advice for BWS Berala, with anyone who attended the store at any other time between Sunday, December 20, and Thursday, December 31, (outside of the times previously published) advised to get tested and immediately self-isolate until they receive a negative result.

Alert issued for Melbourne Good Guys, second Pakenham line exposure

By Rachael Dexter

A second COVID-19 exposure on Melbourne’s Pakenham metro rail line on New Year’s Eve has been revealed by Victoria's health department.

Earlier, we reported that an infected person travelled Pakenham-bound from Flinders Street station to Westall station in the early hours of New Year’s Day, triggering a warning to all other passengers to get tested immediately and isolate until a negative result.

The initial time period was listed as 3am to 4am, but has since changed to 4.30 to 5.00am.

Late on Monday, the Victorian Department of Health and Human Services also added a city-bound service to the same warning, as the case travelled from Westall Station to Flinders Street between 9.00pm and 9.30pm on December 31.

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'High compliance' as mask use mandated across Sydney, readers say

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Today was the first day mask use was mandated in certain indoor settings throughout Greater Sydney, Wollongong, the Central Coast and the Blue Mountains.

Residents who don't comply with the rules risk a $200 on-the-spot fine from police.

Masks are handed out at Circular Quay in Sydney.Steven Siewert

Masks were being handed out to people at some shopping centres and public transport hubs. Some of our readers have written in to say compliance appeared to be pretty widespread among residents in their area.

One reader said the "majority are wearing masks in Greystanes and Wentworthville", while one said there was "high compliance" in Helensburgh, south of Sydney.

Lyle Shelton says 'sneaky run' posts showed 'Australian larrikinism'

By Toby Crockford

Conservative political activist Lyle Shelton says a social media post about his weekend run was "in the nature of Australian larrikinism" and blames "online trolls" for creating a wave of reaction that prompted Queensland police to question him over a potential border restriction breach.

Mr Shelton, former managing director and chief of staff of the Australian Christian Lobby, posted on his Facebook and Twitter accounts on Saturday night that he had done a "sneaky run across the border and back" and "avoided the CCP [Chinese Communist Party] virus police" in the process.

One of the happy snaps Lyle Shelton included in his post about his venture into NSW on social media.Lyle Shelton - Twitter

He was referring to his Saturday run from Coolangatta on the Gold Coast, around Point Danger on the interstate border, and into Tweed Heads in NSW, before coming back.

The Queensland Police Service Twitter account responded on Sunday night, saying they were "aware of this tweet and making further enquiries". Mr Shelton has since been cleared of any wrongdoing.

Read the full story here.

NSW acting premier accuses Sydney wedding venue of 'deliberate' breach

By Megan Gorrey

NSW's acting Premier John Barilaro has accused the operator of a western Sydney venue of deliberately breaching the state's coronavirus restrictions, after more than 700 guests attended a wedding on Saturday.

Mr Barilaro told The Project the $5000 fine handed to the Imperial Paradiso reception venue in Fairfield for multiple breaches of public health orders was over the event were "not enough ... and we'll revisit that".

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As well as having double the number of guests allowed under the rules on Saturday night, a police source has told the Herald the venue also breached restrictions on dancing and movement of people through the venue.

Mr Barilaro said: "The cap should have been 350 people, they jammed in 700.

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Victorian authorities quietly change exposure date for Albert Park cafe

By Rachael Dexter

Victorian health authorities have quietly changed the date of a coronavirus exposure at an Albert Park Cafe to nine days earlier than previously publicised.

The Department of Health and Human Services exposure list was changed today to show a COVID-positive person dined at The Guilty Moose Cafe at Albert Park on December 21, not December 30 as was published on the list for at least two days.

The official advice for anyone dining at the cafe between 1pm and 1.30pm is to get tested immediately and quarantine until a negative result.

It comes after the list incorrectly named a Woolworths supermarket instead of a Coles supermarket as an exposure site in Chirnside Park earlier on Monday.

'Animals in the zoo': Indian cricketers test negative to COVID-19

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Still with the cricket, India have announced their whole team and staff have tested negative to COVID-19 following a breach of the bubble by five touring players in Melbourne.

And they reportedly do not want to be subjected to hotel restrictions when they arrive in Sydney on Monday afternoon, before the third Test begins in front of a smaller reduced crowd of about 10,000 fans on Thursday.

Indian players walk from the field at the close of play on day three of the second cricket test between India and Australia at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.Asanka Brendon Ratnayake

The Indian touring party underwent tests after photos emerged of Rohit Sharma, Rishabh Pant, Shubman Gill, Navdeep Saini and Prithvi Shaw dining inside at a Chinese noodle and BBQ restaurant in Melbourne on Friday.

The players were asked to isolate while testing was done but the Board of Control for Cricket in India issued a statement on Monday saying they were in the clear.

"Playing members of the Indian cricket team and support staff underwent an RT-PCR test for COVID-19 on January 3, 2021. All tests have returned negative results," the BCCI said.

Chris Barrett has the full story here.

'It's fluid': SCG officials eye possible crowd increase for third Test

By Megan Gorrey

Do you have tickets for the Sydney Test that's due to start on Thursday?

To recap news from earlier today, crowds at the third Test between Australia and India will be capped at 25 per cent of the Sydney Cricket Grounds capacity of 48,000 spectators, about half the number previously planned.

Cricket Australia interim chief executive Nick Hockley, Venues NSW chief executive Kerrie Mather, and Sydney Cricket Ground assistant curator Tom Fahey on Monday.Steven Siewert

Cricket Australia's interim chief executive Nick Hockley said the match would be re-ticketed to allow for a socially-distanced seating plan for about 10,000 fans "initially" but said it was "a fast-changing situation".

All purchased ticket holders will receive a full refund, including all associated costs such as ticket insurance.

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Victoria's COVID-19 response chief defends testing capacity amid delays

By Rachael Dexter

Victoria’s COVID-19 response commander Jeroen Weimar has defended the state’s testing capacity over the holiday period, despite days of huge delays at testing sites amid a growing coronavirus outbreak.

Victorians have faced wait times of up to six hours to get tested since those holidaying in NSW were ordered home and the emergence of local cluster that has grown to 24 people.

"Did we have 10,000 people sitting in a spare room waiting for to be called into action? No we did not," Mr Weimar told radio station 3AW this afternoon.

"I don’t think that would be an appropriate or commensurate thing to go and do."

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