Why Sydney's northern beaches should be CLOSED to the rest of the city: How MILITARY checkpoints could be placed on the only three roads leading to the peninsula to stop Covid spread, expert claims

Sydney's northern beaches should be quarantined from the rest of the harbour city with an enforced military-style checkpoint, an expert warns.

About 270,000 northern beaches locals from the Spit Bridge to Palm Beach are effectively in a 'gentle' lockdown for the next three days after 28 cases were linked to the area in the past 48 hours.

But the stay-at-home advisory is not enough and needs to be ramped up and enforced, epidemiologist Professor Tony Blakely said.

Checkpoints should be set up on the only three road routes in and out of the northern beaches: The Spit Bridge, Mona Vale Road and Warringah Road, he said.

Sydney's northern beaches should be quarantined from the rest of the harbour city with an enforced military-style checkpoint, an expert warns

Sydney's northern beaches should be blocked off from the rest of the harbour city with an enforced military-style checkpoint, an expert said (pictured: Police inspect cars ata Covid-19 checkpoint in Albury NSW on Novermber 22)

The Spit Bridge is one of three routes into the Northern Beaches and Professor Tony Blakely believes it should be blocked off with a checkpoint

'I don't want to be alarmist, but the concern is high and this is serious,' he told Daily Mail Australia.

'You can't have this spreading from the northern suburbs to the metro area and the rest of greater Sydney. That would be carnage.'

Professor Blakely said not only should the Northern Beaches be in a mandatory lockdown already, it should be physically separated from the rest of Sydney.

This would be a similar setup to the 'ring of steel' Daniel Andrews erected between the Melbourne metro and regional Victoria.

At the moment, Northern Beaches residents are just asked politely not to travel to the rest of Sydney and no one who doesn't live there to go in. 

Professor Blakely said the Gladys Berejiklian Government has done very well with its gentle approach containing the virus until now.

'NSW have often had outbreaks that have rumbled on at 10 cases a day - but this instance looks quite explosive especially ahead of a super-spreader event called Christmas,' he said.

'Contact tracers really need to nail this outbreak within the next week.'

Sydney's northern beaches (pictured in red) will remain in 'gentle' lockdown until at least Sunday with 270,000 people asked to stay at home and avoid travel, amid fears the virus could spread across the whole city

Professor Tony Blakely said northern beaches should be blocked off from the rest of the harbour city

At the moment the outbreak is well within that limit of what contact tracers can handle, but Prof Blakely said that could swiftly change as it did in Victoria earlier this year.

'We are led to believe NSW is very good at this stuff and I believe that they are much better than Victoria was three months ago,' the University of Melbourne Professor said.

'But as a Victorian, I am still scratching my head as to why NSW doesn't make masks mandatory. It's nuts.'

'That one simple measure could reduce transmission in the community by half - so we are flabbergasted outside of NSW as to why masks are not compulsory in the wake of a situation like this.'

Family Christmas celebrations now hang in the balance for millions of Australians as the Premier warned of an 'explosion' of coronavirus.

Ms Berejiklian said the figures will definitely rise on Friday as testing across Sydney's northern peninsula ramps up.

'I do want to ask everybody to brace themselves, we are going to definitely have more cases today,' she told the Today Show.

'The number of people that were at the RSL event on December 11 and then the bowling club the following Sunday were substantial and then they've got household contacts and contacts of theirs.'

The Spit Bridge can lift up to let bigger ships through, which would make cutting it off easier

Northern beach residents are seen lining up at a COVID-19 pop-up testing location at Avalon Recreation Centre on December 18, 2020

Genomic sequencing results show the latest outbreak is an overseas strain - possibly from the US - however, health authorities are still trying to identify patient zero.

The number of infected venues across Sydney now stands at 30. 

As concerned Northern Beaches residents queued to be tested and left supermarket shelves bare amid a return to panic buying, it was a different story on the other side of the Harbour Bridge on Thursday night.

Pubs, bars and restaurants in Sydney's CBD were packed with carefree revellers in party mode as they celebrated the festive season and the recent easing of Covid restrictions in NSW.

There was little physical distancing on display as revellers hugged and kissed each other, held hands, sat closely together and danced in the streets.

At the moment the outbreak is well within that limit of what contact tracers can handle, but Prof Blakely said that can swiftly change as it did in Victoria earlier this year (pictured, beachgoers at Avalon go for a dip on December 18)

Hundreds of residents waited in long queue to be tested on Thursday after the shock cluster popped up in the city's north, which has not seen coronavirus case on mass since April (pictured, the queue at Mona Vale Hospital on Thursday afternoon)

Northern beaches residents went into panic buying mode as they rushed to the shops on Thursday night (pictured, an almost empty toilet paper aisle at Woolworths at Warringah Mall)

Ms Berejiklian urged residents from Spit Bridge to Palm Beach to stay at home until Sunday while urgent testing and contact tracing continues.

'We don't want the disease to spread more broadly throughout Sydney, so we're asking everybody to think about what they're doing and to monitor their behaviours,' she told Sunrise.

'We want people to have a good Christmas, but we know this has really unfortunately disrupted many plans.

'Our aim is to really get on top of this as soon as possible so people can have as less disruptive Christmas as possible.

'The next two to three days will be incredibly critical.'

These revellers were in the festive spirit on Thursday night in Sydney's CBD , despite growing fears about a growing coronavirus outbreak over the harbour

As thousands of Sydneysiders on the northern beaches were advised to stay at home, it was a different story on the other side of Sydney as carefree revellers embraced friends (pictured, partygoers in Sydney)

On a day Sydney recorded a 17th new case within 24 hours, there was little social distancing between revellers in the CBD

VENUES ON HIGH ALERT ACROSS SYDNEY:

Immediately self-isolate and get tested

If you have been to the below locations, you must immediately self-isolate and get a coronavirus test. You must remain in quarantine for the full two weeks even if the test returns a negative result.

Avalon: Avalon Beach RSL Club, Friday 11 December all day until close

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, 1/21-23 Old Barrenjoey Road: Monday 14 December 7pm to 8pm

Avalon Beach: Barramee Thai Massage and Spa, 4/42-44 Old Barrenjoey Road: Monday 14 December 2pm to 3.30pm

Avalon Beach: Sneaky Grind Café, 3/48 Old Barrenjoey Rd: Monday 14 December 10.30am to 11am

Kirribilli: Kirribilli Club, 11 Harbourview Cres: 12pm-3pm on Monday 14 December

Palm Beach: Palm Beach female change rooms: Sunday 13 December 9am to 9:15am

Palm Beach: Coast Palm Beach Café, Barrenjoey Road: Sunday 13 December 10am to 11am

Palm Beach: Palm Beach female change rooms (in toilet block with small change area at swimming pool at southern end): 9am to 9:15am on Sunday 13 December

Penrith: Penrith RSL Club, 8 Tindale St: 1pm-6pm on Sunday 13 December

Monitor for symptoms

If you have been to any of these locations during the time and date indicated you should get tested immediately and self-isolate until you receive a negative result; continue to watch for COVID-19 symptoms and if any symptoms occur, get tested again.

Artarmon: Roof Racks World, 13/87 Reserve Rd: Tuesday 15 December 2020 2:00pm - 2:30pm

Avalon: Hungry Ghost Café, 20 Avalon Parade: 9:30am to 11am on Sunday 13 December, 9:30am to 11am on Tuesday 15 December

Avalon: Careel Bay Dog Park and Hitchcock Park: 16 December 7‑7:30am

Avalon Beach: Chemist Warehouse, 4/74 Old Barrenjoey Rd: Monday 14 December 2020 5:20pm - 5:25pm

Avalon Beach: Woolworths, 74 Barrenjoey Road: Sunday 13 December 12pm to 5pm; Monday 14 December 5 to 5.30pm; Tuesday 15 December 12pm to 12.30pm

Avalon Beach: Avalon Beach Post Shop, 45 Avalon Parade, 16 December 3.30 to 3.50pm

Avalon Beach: Oliver's Pie, Careel Shopping Village, 1 Careel Head Road: Monday 14 December 9am to 9.15am

Avalon Beach: Avalon Beach Surf Life Saving Club: 13, 14 and 15 December, 9 to 9.30am

Avalon Beach: Mitre 10, 49 Avalon Parade: 15 December, 12 to 12.20pm

Avalon Beach: Chemist Warehouse, 4/74 Old Barrenjoey Rd: Monday 14 December 5.20 to 5.25pm

Avalon Beach: Commonwealth Bank, 47 Avalon Parade: Tuesday 15 December, 12-12.15pm

Avalon Beach: North Avalon Cellars, 4/3 N Avalon Rd: 15 December, 6-6.05pm

Dee Why: HongFa BBQ Restaurant: 15 December 4.30 to 4.45pm

Dee Why: Dee Why Fruit Market, 33 Oaks Avenue: 5 December, 4.45 to 4.55pm

North Narrabeen: Brot and Wurst, 1442 Pittwater Rd: Wednesday 16 December 2020 2:00pm - 2:05pm

Mona Vale: Woolworths, 25/29 Park St: 13 December, 12 to 12.30pm

Mona Vale: Aldi, 13 Bungan St: 13 December, 12.45 to 1.30pm

Mona Vale: Bing Lee, Gateway, 1 Mona Vale Road: Monday 14 December 4.30pm to 4.45pm

Palm Beach: Palm Beach Rockpool, LOT 1 Rock Bath Rd: 14 December, 9.30 to 10.30am.

Palm Beach: Palm Beach Pool, LOT 1 Rock Bath Rd, 16 December, 8am to 9am

Peakhurst: Gannons Park, Forest Rangers FC, Little Rangers session: Friday 11 December 4.30pm to 5.30pm (Any adults who were present should get tested immediately and self-isolate until they receive a negative result. They should continue to monitor for symptoms and if any symptoms occur, get tested again. Children who were present should be monitored for symptoms and get tested if any symptoms occur.)