The country's Deputy Chief Medical Officer says people in hotspot areas around Sydney should wear masks, a day after a string of new suburbs reported confirmed cases.
It comes as the NSW Chief Health Officer Dr Kerry Chant revealed there was a link between the two Thai Rock outbreaks in Wetherill Park and Potts Point. On Friday morning, NSW reported 21 new cases of COVID-19.
Deputy Chief Medical Officer Professor Michael Kidd said everyone in hotspot areas should consider wearing a mask.Credit:Brook Mitchell
Victoria has reported 627 cases on Friday morning and eight further deaths. On Thursday, Premier Daniel Andrews announced masks would become compulsory across the state as the virus spreads into regional Victoria.
Deputy Chief Medical Officer Professor Michael Kidd welcomed the move on masks, but said people in Sydney hotspots should also think about making masks part of daily life.
"People should be considering wearing masks, but particularly in those areas where we have community transmission," he said.
"Particularly when people are outside their homes and in areas where physical distancing may be difficult. That, of course, includes when you go into the supermarket, where there's lots of people moving around and people may come closer to you than the 1.5 metres, that people should be considering wearing masks."
Of the 21 new cases in NSW on Friday, six were associated with The Apollo restaurant in Potts Point. The Potts Point outbreak, which includes cases from the local Thai Rock restaurant, now includes 19 cases.
On Friday the funeral gatherings cluster also grew to 21 cases, two cases were linked to the Mounties club, two are in hotel quarantine and one case was acquired in Victoria.
The Thai Rock Wetherill Park cluster in Sydney's west swelled to 94 cases after three new cases were linked to the Our Lady of Lebanon cluster and two are linked to the restaurant.
Two cases remain under investigation, and one case was linked to another known case that remains under investigation.
Eight people in NSW are now in intensive care, up from five cases reported on Thursday, and four of those people are on ventilators.
People who visited businesses across Sydney suburbs including Marrickville, Crows Nest and Surry Hills were being either asked to monitor for symptoms or self isolate for 14 days after people who visited venues were later diagnosed with COVID-19.
A Darlinghurst venue has closed after a positive case attended the venue last week.
In a Facebook post, the Darlo Bar said they had been advised the person attended the venue between 12pm and 2pm on July 26.
The Darlo Bar has been shut for deep cleaning due to a customer testing positive to coronavirus.Credit:Dominic Lorrimer
"NSW Health have advised that this is a relatively low-risk case, however we took the decision to close the Darlo Bar immediately to undertake a deep clean in line with our own strict COVID safe protocols," the statement said.
"We’re continuing to work closely with NSW Health to support any contact tracing efforts and to ensure the health and safety of all our staff and guests."
The bar is closed while it undergoes a deep clean and will reopen on Saturday.
On Thursday evening NSW Health issued an alert for people who attended Harpoon and Hotel Harrys for more than two hours between 2.15pm to 11pm on July 26 after the venue was visited by a case linked to The Apollo restaurant, saying those people must self-isolate for 14 days and get tested.
NSW Health officials say people who were at Harpoon & Hotel Harry in Surry Hills at a particular time must self isolate.Credit:Jessica Hromas
People who visited Matinee Coffee in Marrickville on the mornings of July 26 and 27 were also asked to monitor for symptoms after a confirmed case spent a short amount of time there on both days.
Speaking on 2GB on Friday morning, Dr Chant said health officials were now sure the Thai Rock restaurant in Wetherill Park and the Thai Rock Potts Point outbreaks were linked.
"We are awaiting further genome sequencing to see how that's further linked to The Apollo, and we'll update the community once that data is in hand," she said.
Dr Chant said all genomic sequencing completed so far has linked cases in NSW to strains in Victoria.
"Obviously we're still waiting for some genome sequencing data," she said. "We believe there has been introductions from Victoria in some cases."
In the case of the Crossroads Hotel Cluster, health officials have been able to locate the exact source of the infection and link it back to Melbourne, she said.
Dr Chant said the border restrictions on those travelling between NSW and Victoria had been a difficult decision, but one that had been essential in preventing further outbreaks.
"We don't want people coming unknowingly infecting and the setting off chains of infections in NSW," she said.
"Health officials all recognise that preventing of movement of people from an area where you have high rates of disease to low rates of disease is one controls you need to put in place."
Dr Chant urged the community to minimise contact with others, practice good hand hygiene and wear a mask when unable to socially distance while NSW Health is “putting out spot fires”.
She also said anyone who had symptoms should not go out into the community, rather they should go and get tested.
Rachel Clun is a journalist at The Sydney Morning Herald.
Laura is a journalist for The Sydney Morning Herald.
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2020-07-31 00:53:00Z
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