A couple walk along Sydney's Bondi Beach on Christmas Day. Photo / AP
A couple walk along Sydney's Bondi Beach on Christmas Day. Photo / AP
Pressure is mounting for NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian to send all of Sydney into lockdown after the state recorded 18 new coronavirus cases over the past 24 hours and identified a new community cluster.
Wednesday's six new coronavirus cases were linked to three families in Croydon, in Sydney's inner west.
An additional 34 close contacts have also been associated with the cluster, and the premier warns that more cases will arise because of the "extended family's movements".
However, speaking to ABC, physician and broadcaster Dr Norman Swan said NSW likely under-diagnosed the virus by "at least a factor of three" and the state's virus figures could be closer to 450 to 500 cases.
He said NSW should instead opt for an "act fast, act early, beg for forgiveness later" approach, including a citywide lockdown, mandatory masks and reconsidering major events like the 2021 cricket test match between Australia and India.
"We've been relying in New South Wales on the absolute fantastic work of the contact tracers, it is truly amazing, they're working incredibly hard … but it won't take long for that to be overwhelmed," Swan said.
Staff at a drive-through Covid-19 testing station in Sydney on December 19. Photo / AP
Despite this, when asked whether Sydney would enter a 10-day preventive lockdown, Berejiklian told reporters: "Health advice doesn't request it at this stage."
She added: "The health advice is still such that we have a handle on [the] outbreak.
"If the health advice ever changes, I have demonstrated already my Government is quick to act. We will change the settings."
Instead, the Premier announced tighter restrictions for Greater Sydney, which will come into effect from Wednesday midnight.
Household gatherings have been restricted to five visitors, and outdoor gatherings have been reduced from 50 to 30. Although restrictions for the northern zone of the northern beaches remain the same, those in the southern zone will also only be allowed five visitors per household, including children, and all must be from the same zone.
NSW Health has also asked residents to limit non-essential gatherings over the New Year.
"I indicated yesterday and the day before that Greater Sydney is on high alert and that's certainly magnified," Berejiklian said.
"We're also relying on people exercising their common sense and not putting themselves in a situation that makes them or their family member vulnerable.
"No matter what great policies or health orders we have in place, you can't cover every single exceptional circumstance and that's why common sense is so important."
Several others on social media have also called for Sydney to go into lockdown after Wednesday's numbers.
"There is no room for 'hoping' half measures will bring this under control. The infection map is growing, spreading like a virus, at a time of year when we holiday and celebrate. Sydney metro/regional border lockdown + travel distance restrictions + masks," shared another Twitter user.
"Eighteen new Covid cases in Sydney and with the fear around a Croydon cluster, it is time for [Berejiklian] to plan a Greater Sydney Lockdown, not a cricket match."
The Premier just said that NSW always acts on the precautionary principle. If so on the bases of the numbers and locations now is the time for a Greater Sydney lockdown.
There’s no magic “force field” at the SCG. Why is everyone else limited to gatherings of 30 ppl max but we’re letting 20,000 ppl congregate from all over the city by public transport to watch cricket?
Many have also called for masks to be mandated. As it stands, NSW Health "strongly recommend people wear masks while indoors and on public transport, at the supermarket, shops and at entertainment venues if physical distancing of 1.5m is unable to be maintained".
Questioning this directive, one Twitter user wrote: "The Premier just said that NSW 'always acts on the precautionary principle'. If that were true, would she not have mandated the use of masks on public transport?"
All this political agony over NYE in Sydney yet they don’t mandate masks which would reduce risk. Hard to understand the reasoning.
