Hundreds of people are wrongly told they were exposed to coronavirus and to self-isolate through Christmas after visiting a Manly pub
Hundreds of panicked pub-goers were wrongly told they were exposed to coronavirus and must self-isolate through Christmas.
All punters who attended Manly's Hotel Steyne on December 17 received a text from NSW Health on Monday night informing them of the grim, but incorrect, news.
'You have been exposed to the Covid-19 virus. You may have Covid-19 and could give it to others,' the message read.
Hundreds of pub-goers have been left fuming after being wrongly told they were exposed to coronavirus and must self-isolate through Christmas (Pictured: Hotel Steyne at Manly Beach)
Punters who attended Manly's Hotel Steyne on December 17 received a text from NSW Health on Monday night informing them of the grim news
The message went on to inform recipients they must self-isolate until 11.59pm on December 26, they would be only allowed to leave their homes to get tested for the virus.
But an hour later another message came through informing them of the blunder.
'Further information indicates the exposure between 3.00-3.30pm. If you were NOT at the venue between these times you are NOT considered a close contact and do NOT need to self-isolate.'
The messages unnecessarily worried hundreds of people who thought they would miss out of Christmas with their families.
Daily Mail Australia has contact NSW Health for comment.
Christmas is still hanging in the balance for hundreds of families as they anxiously await a decision from premier Gladys Berejiklian on whether the Northern Beaches lockdown will be extended beyond Wednesday.
NSW recorded 15 more cases of coronavirus on Monday - all are linked to the Northern Beaches cluster which now stands at 83.
A record 38,000 people across the state got tests on Sunday with results expected to come in between 24 and 72 hours later, meaning case numbers could rise on Tuesday and Wednesday.
About an hour after being told to isolate, another message came through informing them of the blunder
A street sweeper moves along an empty footpath at Manly Wharf on Monday as lockdown remains in place
Chief Health Officer Dr Kerry Chant said some patients caught the virus outside the Northern Beaches but all cases have been linked back to two events at the Avalon RSL and the Avalon Bowlo last week.
What are Sydney's new rules from Wednesday 11.59pm?
· Household gatherings will be limited to 10 visitors (until 11:59pm Wednesday 23 December).
· The one person per four square metre rule will be re-introduced for all indoor settings including hospitality venues and places of worship.
· A cap of 300 people will apply for hospitality venues and places of worship.
· Singing and chanting at indoor venues will not be allowed.
· Dancefloors will not be permitted, except for weddings, when a maximum of 20 from the bridal party will be permitted.
'We've had seeding events where people have gone from being exposed in the Northern Beaches and gone back to other parts of the CBD, south-eastern Sydney, the broader northern Sydney area, Penrith,' she said.
'We have seen transmission event in a workplace in the CBD - again linked by somebody who had unknowingly brought that into that workplace.'
The dozens of venues that have been put on an alert list indicate where positive patients are living, with most on the Northern Beaches, Dr Chant said.
She said five positive cases visited the Turramurra Salon for Hair on the Northern Beaches and urged anyone who went there between 15 and 18 December to test and self-isolate for 14 days.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison said he was confident the cluster will be managed, saying: 'We have been here before. We have been able to overcome this before including in New South Wales'.
Mr Morrison said state and territory health experts and transport ministers were meeting but there was no need for a National Cabinet meeting of state leaders.
Ms Berejiklian said she was pleased with the testing numbers but could not be sure all cases were being detected.
'In a pandemic, you're never confident you have 100 per cent got every strain of every case. I mean, that would be a dishonest way to answer the question.
This map shows the spread of disease with confirmed cases visiting venues in Cronulla, Riverwood and Homebush
How has the virus grown in Sydney?
17 December: Three cases
18 December: 15 cases
19 December: 23 cases
20 December: 30 cases
21 December: 15 cases
Total: 86 cases with 83 linked to Avalon cluster
'We are never confident you've caught everything, because when you don't know the intermediaries, when you don't know exactly every single person who was at a venue at a time because of record keeping, you can't give that assurance,' she said.
The government will decide on Wednesday whether to extend restrictions or release Northern Beaches residents from lockdown for Christmas.
Asked what would influence her decision to expand restrictions, Dr Chant said: 'So what we're interested in is making sure that we don't see any further transmission that is not linked exactly to the Avalon cluster.'
In the past three days 55,843 people have taken flights from Sydney Airport to get away for Christmas before border restrictions kicked in amid fears the cluster could spread around the country, with positive sewage samples recorded in Cairns, Townsville and the Gold Coast.
Queensland, Victoria, South Australia, Tasmania, Australian Capital Territory and the Northern Territory have closed the borders to Greater Sydney and have made 14-day isolation compulsory for travellers.
Western Australia has shut its borders to the whole of NSW indefinitely and only those with special exemptions will be allowed into the state.
On Monday morning Health Minister Brad Hazzard said he believes Sydney's latest Covid-19 outbreak may have come from an Australian who tested positive in hotel quarantine after landing from Los Angeles.
The woman, who touched down on 1 December, was moved from a policed hotel to a health hotel when she tested positive and remains in quarantine.
Genomic sequencing has shown her strain of the disease is extremely similar to the strain ravaging the Northern Beaches.
Mystery surrounds how it got from her into the community but Minster Hazzard speculated a quarantine worker may have caught the disease from her by picking up her bag.
Premier Berejiklian urged residents to wear masks on public transport and in spaces where social distancing is not possible such as shops and supermarkets. Pictured: Queues for testing at Bondi
Chief health officer Dr Kerry Chant has urged everyone across NSW to get tested as soon as they notice the mildest symptoms. Pictured: Testing at Bondi Beach on Sunday
'She is certainly a person that we have got to look more closely at. How could it have possibly got from her to the beaches when she is still in a quarantine hotel,' he told ABC News on Monday morning.
'It is a human system. People have to accept this is a human system and if someone picked up a bag by mistake and then put it down, it could be anything that she might have handled.
'It just could be anything at all on that front. We don't know the answer at this point,' he said.
Full list of Sydney hotspot venues
Anyone who has visited the following venues on the stated dates and times should get tested immediately and isolate for 14 days regardless of symptoms.
Avalon: Anytime Fitness, Avalon Parade
Tuesday 8 December
Monday 23 November to Monday 7 December
Avalon: Avalon RSL Club
Friday 11 December All day until closed
Monday 14 December 5pm to 10:30pm
Tuesday 15 December12pm to 5pm
Wednesday 16 December4pm to 12am
Avalon Beach: Avalon Bowlo (bowling club), 4 Bowling Green Lane
Sunday 13 December 5pm to 7pm
Tuesday 15 December 3pm to 5pm
Avalon Beach: Bangkok Sidewalk Restaurant
Monday 14 December 7pm to 8pm
Avalon Beach: Barramee Thai Massage and Spa
Monday 14 December 2pm to 3:30pm
Avalon Beach: Oceana Traders – Seafood Merchants
Monday 14 December
Tuesday 15 December
Wednesday 16 December
Thursday 17 December
Avalon Beach: Sneaky Grind Café
Monday 14 December 9:30am to 11am
Avalon Beach: Sunset Diner
Friday 11 December 6:30pm to 8pm
Cronulla: Cronulla RSL
Wednesday 16 December 5pm to closing
Cronulla: Pilgrims Vegetarian Café
Wednesday 16 December 11:30am to 2:30pm
Erskineville: Rose of Australia
Tuesday 15 December 7pm to 8:45pm
Forster: Café Toscano (outdoor verandah area)
Wednesday 16 December 6pm to 7:45pm
Kirribilli: Kirribilli Club
Monday 14 December 12pm to 3pm
Lane Cove: Hair by Erika, Village Shopping Centre
Friday 11 December 3:30pm to 5pm
Mona Vale: Fitness First Mona Vale, Pittwater Place Shopping Centre
Sunday 13 December 2pm to 4pm
Monday 14 December 10:30am to 12:30pm
Wednesday 16 December 8:30am to 10am
Narrabeen: The Sands
Tuesday 15 December 6pm to 8pm
Newport: 4 Pines Newport
Tuesday 15 December 6pm to 10pm
Newport: Rusti Fig
Saturday 12 December 9am to 10am
Palm Beach: Palm Beach female change rooms
Sunday 13 December 9am to 9:15am
Palm Beach: Coast Palm Beach Café
Sunday 13 December 10am to 11am
Penrith: Penrith RSL Club
Sunday 13 December 1pm to 6pm
St Peters: Sydney Trapeze School
Tuesday 15 December 10am to 12pm
Surry Hills: Nomad Restaurant
Wednesday 16 December 12:45pm to 2pm
Surry Hills: Strawberry Hills Hotel
Wednesday 16 December 3:30pm to 6pm
Turramurra: Salon of Hair
Tuesday 15 December 10am to 3pm
Wednesday 16 December 9:30am to 3:30pm
Thursday 17 December 9:30am to 3:30pm
Friday 18 December 9:30am to 3:30pm
Woolloomooloo: Sienna Marina
Friday 11 December 12pm to 2pm
NEW VENUES ANNOUNCED ON SUNDAY NIGHT:
Manly Skiff Club, Corner of East Esplanade and Stuart Street, Manly: Saturday 12 December, 12pm – 2.30pm
Donny's Bar, 7 Market Place, Manly: Saturday 12 December, 3:15pm – 9pm
Old Manly Boat Shed, 40 The Corso, Manly: Saturday 12 December, 9pm – 12:30am
Rusti Fig, 3/363 Barrenjoey Road, Newport: Saturday 12 December, 9am – 10:30am
Caf̩ Junior, Woolworths Neutral Bay Village, 1-7 Rangers Road, Neutral Bay: Sunday 13 December, 12:45pm Р2.30pm
BoThai, 16 Willoughby Road, Crows Nest: Sunday 13 December, 4:30pm – 5:30pm
Salon X, 86 William Street, Paddington: Wednesday 16 December, 9am – 6pm and Thursday 17 December, 9am – 8pm
Mona Vale Golf Club (bar and function room), 3 Golf Avenue, Mona Vale: Wednesday 16 December, 5pm – 10pm
Garfish Seafood Restaurant, 39 East Esplanade, Manly: Thursday 17 December, 6:45pm – 8:30pm
Anyone who attended the following venues on the dates and times below is considered a casual contact and should get tested immediately and isolate until they receive a negative result:
Woolworths, Riverwood Plaza, 247 Belmore Road, Riverwood: Wednesday 9 December, 3pm – 3:35pm
Nourished Wholefood Café, 17 Avalon Parade, Avalon Beach: Saturday 12 December, 7.15am-7.30am
Manly Wharf Bar, East Esplanade, Manly: Saturday 12 December, 2:45pm – 3:15pm
The Steyne Hotel, 75 The Corso, Manly: Saturday 12 December, 3pm – 3:30pm
Cronulla Mall, 6 Cronulla Street Cronulla: Tuesday 15 December, 8pm – 9pm and Wednesday 16 December, 3pm – 6pm
Navy Bear Caf̩, RAN Sailing Association, 1C New Beach Rd, Darling Point: Sunday 13 December, 10.30am Р4.45pm
Restaurant Lovat, G04/316-324 Barrenjoey Rd, Newport: Saturday 12 December 2:15pm – 2:25pm and 4pm – 4:15pm
Mona Vale Golf Club, 3 Golf Avenue, Mona Vale: Wednesday 16 December, 11am – 5pm
Anytime Fitness, 7 Taronga Place, Mona Vale, on Thursday 17 December between 9.50am and 12.45pm
G Fitness, 72/80 Evans Street, Freshwater, on Tuesday 15 December between 11am and 12.45pm
4 Pines, 313 Barrenjoey Rd, Newport, on Wednesday 16 December between 4.30pm-9pm
Twenty-One Espresso, 21 Knox Street, Double Bay: Any staff working on Tuesday 15 December, and patrons seated in the indoor section on that day for more than 1 hour between 7.10pm and 8.15pm and 8.25pm and 9.10pm.