Coronavirus Covid-19 – Premier’s Stern Virus Warning – Sydney Covid Group Will Grow

Australia is eagerly awaiting an NSW Premier press conference at 1pm (New Zealand time), as the northern beach cluster is inclined to keep growing.

“We can expect to see a repeat of those numbers over the next 24 hours,” New South Wales Premier Gladys Berejiklian said yesterday when the state reported 23 new cases. The number of cases associated with the northern beach cluster now stands at 38, after 21 new cases were linked to yesterday’s outbreak.

Today, the prime minister will be joined by New South Wales Deputy Police Commissioner Gary Worboys, who will speak the day after the northern beaches were blocked in response to the outbreak.

The outbreak raises questions about the proposed travel bubble through Tasmania.

The New Zealand government says it is closely monitoring the new Covid-19 cluster in Sydney, but it is too early to say whether it will affect a trans-Tasman bubble.

“As previously stated, a travel bubble will not start until the first quarter of 2021,” a government spokesman said in a statement.

“The beginning depends on the fact that there are no significant changes in the circumstances of any of the countries.

“Decisions on whether or not to proceed with a travel bubble will come in the new year and we will assess the situation at that time.

“We are monitoring the situation closely, but it is too early to make decisions based on the current community cases in New South Wales.”

The closure of the northern beaches of Sydney comes when Western Australia announced that it would reestablish its border with New South Wales from midnight last night.

Prime Minister Mark McGowan said the rigid border, meaning all New South Wales residents will need to apply for a waiver to access the state, was necessary to keep their status safe.

The decision was made after an emergency meeting of the country’s health directors.

“This is the reality of living in a world with Covid,” McGowan said.

“Given the size of the Sydney outbreak … New South Wales will be classified as a medium risk state.”

McGowan said it was a “difficult decision” to make.

It follows the restrictions implemented by Tasmania, which raised the risk level for travelers from New South Wales to Tasmania to ‘medium’, which means they will have to be quarantined for 14 days.

“It is unfortunate, but I do not apologize,” Prime Minister Peter Gutwein told a news conference.

The North Beaches area is already declared high risk, and travelers from there are not allowed to enter unless they are approved as an essential traveler or are a returning Tasmanian resident.

People can self-quarantine at home or in a government hotel facility on their own.

“Like I said, we will act early, we will act fast,” Gutwein added later on responding to the growing NSW group.

People from New South Wales who want to enter Queensland will need an application for a border pass online, and those traveling from the North Beaches must apply for a waiver.

Meanwhile, a leading epidemiologist has said that allowing international aircrew to self-quarantine at home “is not worth the risk.”

Professor Michael Toole of the Burnet Institute told ABC that the risk of allowing international strains of the virus to enter the community was too high.

“In seven states and territories, we have basically eliminated local transmission of the virus,” said Professor Toole. “So I think all the precautions that can be taken to keep it that way and eventually eliminate the virus in New South Wales are justified.

“You know, we – we’ve sacrificed a lot in all eight states and territories to get to this place and I think it’s just not worth the risk.

“I understand how that could be, you know, inconvenient for that crew, but they also come from countries where the virus rate is high.”

He also said that the mutant strain is “likely to emerge.”

“From a virus point of view, this is not surprising. I mean, the virus wants to infect as many people as possible.

“So it basically mutates to allow that and this has happened before.”

“It is not in the interests of the virus to cause a more serious illness because then people die and … the virus cannot go anywhere.”