Locked-down Bondi hipsters party NEXT DOOR to Covid exposure site despite stay-at-home orders - as string of new Sydney venues are put on high alert and thousands are ordered to isolate NOW
A Costco superstore is among the 26 new venues added to Sydney's ever-growing list of Covid-19 exposure sites overnight - as revellers in Bondi enjoyed a night out in lockdown next door to a venue already on coronavirus alert.
Sydneysiders are seven days into a 14-day lockdown to curb the spread of the highly-infectious Indian Delta variant of the virus - with the city recording 35 infections on Saturday.
Health authorities on Saturday night told anyone who visited the Strathfield Medical Practice in the city's inner-west on July 1 between 1.30pm and 2.10pm to get tested and self-isolate for 14 days regardless of the result.
Shoppers who visited a Costco in Casula in the city's south-west on June 29 between 7.50pm and 9pm meanwhile must get tested and self-isolate until they receive a negative result.
The rise in cases is the largest daily increase since April 2020 when Australia was enduring the first wave of the coronavirus pandemic.
But with residents unable to dine inside at venues, bars and pubs can instead serve customers drinks on the street as long as punters then move on and don't enter the premises.
Crowds of locals were pictured enjoying drinks on the street in Bondi Beach on Saturday night as bars made the most of the concession in lockdown rules for licenced venues.
One bar had a list of cocktails hanging on its shopfront and was offering espresso martinis, margaritas and negronis.
Daily Mail Australia understands the bars were offering the alcohol for customers to drink while they walked up and down the waterfront to prevent transmission of the virus.
A large crowd were pictured queuing outside Mexican restaurant Calita on Campbell Parade on the northern end of the beach.
The Porch and Parlour cafe and ceramics shop directly next door though is listed as an exposure site by New South Wales Health between 7.50am and 8.10am on Monday June 28.
Bondi locals have enjoyed a night out despite it being in the middle of a lockdown thanks to the takeaway booze and cocktails on offer from several bars and restaurants in the area. Licenced venues can offer alcohol to be consumed away from their premises under Sydney's lockdown rules
Some venues were dubbed 'kerbside bars' and had been preparing cocktails all day - with locals encouraged to collect a drink as they headed home or while they were out getting their daily exercise.
Daily Mail Australia is not suggesting anyone pictured is breaking any social distancing laws.
Health authorities meanwhile have also on Saturday night told shoppers at the Coles store in Westfield Parramatta in western Sydney and an Aldi in Lakemba in the south-west they were exposed to the virus on June 30.
A group of Sydney residents are seen hanging outside a Bondi bar on Saturday night after taking advantage of the venue's takeaway alcohol
Many bars and restaurants in the area are selling alcohol for locals to drink while they walk, as they are allowed to do under Sydney's lockdown restrictions
Some venues had been preparing cocktails all day, with locals encouraged to collect one as they head home or go for their daily exercise. The Porch and Parlour cafe and ceramics shop in Bondi Beach is directly next door to one kerbside bar, Calita. The cafe is a listed Covid-19 exposure site
The Porch and Parlour cafe is listed as an exposure site by New South Wales Health between 7.50am and 8.10am on Monday June 28
A group of girls are seen waiting outside a bar in Bondi on Saturday night to make the most of lockdown rules allowing takeaway alcohol service in New South Wales
NEW NSW EXPOSURE SITES LISTED ON SATURDAY EVENING
Anyone who attended the following venues at the times listed is a close contact and must immediately get tested and isolate for 14 days, regardless of the result
Double Bay, Bake Bar - Sunday June 20 from 11am - 11.30am
Lakemba, Hop Hung Asian Grocery - Wednesday June 30 from 11.20am - 11.40am
Strathfield, Strathfield Plaza Medical Practice - Thursday July 1 from 1.30pm - 2.10pm
Homebush West, Ram's Food - Friday June 25 from 11.10am - 12.10pm
Botany, Service NSW - Monday June 28 from 8am - 5pm, Wednesday June 30 from 8am - 5pm and Thursday July 1 from 8am - 5pm
Five Dock, Pharmacy 4 Less - Tuesday June 29 from 10.40am - 10.55am
Five Dock, Chemist Warehouse - Tuesday June 29 from 10.30am - 10.40am
Mortdale, Woolworths - Wednesday June 30 from 5.30pm - 6.40pm
Anyone who attended any of the following venues at the times listed is a casual contact and must immediately get tested and self-isolate until a negative result is received
Auburn, Wing Fat Meat Market - Sunday June 27 from 10.00am - 10.10am
Sydney Olympic Park, The Locker Room - Saturday June 26 from 10am - 7pm
Auburn, Auburn Central Sunshine Fruit - Sunday June 17 from 10am-10.30am and Monday June 28 from 3.30pm - 4.30pm
Auburn, David's Asian Food Supermarket - Sunday June 27 from 10.10am - 10.20am
Auburn, Hamro Asan Bazaar - Monday June 28 from 3.30pm - 4.30pm
Homebush West, K.W. Barbeque Shop - Tuesday June 29 from 4pm-4.15pm
Homebush West, Di Yuan Asian Groceries - Tuesday June 29 from 4.20pm - 4.30pm
Homebush West, Tan Hung Long Supermarket - Tuesday June 29 from 4.30pm - 4.45pm
Casula, Costco - Tuesday June 29 from 7.50pm - 9pm
Lakemba, Aldi - Wednesday June 30 from 11.30am - 11.45am
Parramatta, Country Growers - Wednesday June 30 from 5.35pm - 5.55pm
Parramatta, Coles - Wednesday June 30 from 5.45pm - 6.05pm
Parramatta, Spices of India - Wednesday June 30 from 6pm - 6.15pm
Drummoyne, Chemist Warehouse - Tuesday June 29 from 10.30am - 10.40am
Potts Point, Woolworths Metro - Tuesday June 29 from 6.15pm - 6.30pm
Bonnyrigg, Aldi - Wednesday June 30 from 6.00pm - 6.30pm
Anyone who attended the following venues at the listed times should monitor for symptoms, and if they appear, immediately get tested and self-isolate until a negative result is received:
Bondi Junction, Woolworths, 530 Oxford Street, Monday 28 June 9.00am to 9.15am
Parramatta Westfield Parramatta (whole of complex) 159-175 Church Wednesday 30 June 5.30pm to 6.15pm
Anyone who travelled of any of the following transport routes at the times listed is a casual contact and must immediately get tested and self-isolate until a negative result is received
T8 Airport/South line service to Revesby From Central Platform 23 To Mascot Platform 2 Thursday June 24 from 8.10am to 8.20am
T8 Airport/South line service to Revesby From Central Platform 23 To Mascot Platform 2 Friday June 25 from 7.55am to 8.10am
T8 Airport/South line service to Central From Mascot Platform 1 To Central Platform 21 Friday June 25 from 12:20pm to 12:30pm
Route 400N, From Westfield Eastgardens, Bunnerong Rd, Stand A, To Anzac Parade after Strachan Street Kingsford, Thursday June 24 from 12:30am to 12:39am
Bus 420, From Coward St opp Lionel Bowen Park, Mascot To Westfield Eastgardens, Bunnerong Rd, Stand A Thursday June 24 from 2:55pm to 3:05pm
Saturday's cases are the highest number of infections recorded in a single day since the initial outbreak in 2020 but NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian and her Chief Health Officer Dr Kerry Chant said the 'green shoots are there'.
Ms Berejiklian said the infection numbers were positive despite the high number.
'We are relieved, the cases are not as bad as they could have been,' she said.
Among the new venues put on alert on Saturday evening is the The Locker Room pub in Sydney Olympic Park which was added as an exposure site for Saturday June 26 from 10am to 7pm.
Any patrons who visited the venue must isolate until given a negative result.
BIZARRE EXCUSES NSW POLICE ARE BEING GIVEN BY COVID LOCKDOWN RULE-BREAKERS
NSW Police revealed they issued 78 penalty infringement notices on Friday, with 48 of them $200 fines for mask breaches
Police revealed they had arrested and charged a couple running a cafe in Jindabyne for alleged public health order breaches after a tip-off to Crimestoppers
They were visited on Wednesday and charged for not wearing masks on the premises - but a return visit on Friday found customers not wearing masks, no QR code check in or sign-in sheet
Police were also alerted to two men aged 21 and 23 who travelled from Sydney to Jenolan Caves 'because they were feeling bored'. The pair were fined $1000
Anti-vax and anti-mask 'covidiots' could derail Sydney's bid to reopen from lockdown on Friday, New South Wales health minister Brad Hazzard has warned
NSW Health Minister Brad Hazzard warned anti-vax and anti-mask 'covidiots' could derail Sydney's bid to reopen from lockdown on Friday
The state has seen a surge of people refusing to wear masks under the current public health orders and politicians are worried it could dent the lockdown timeline
Social media has seen a wave of people being arrested for not wearing masks and now Mr Hazzard has branded conspiracy theory activists 'wackos' and begged the public to ignore them
'We are deep in a war with this virus,' he said on Saturday. 'When you're in a war, you don't win it with wacko views
Earlier NSW Health Minister Brad Hazzard warned anti-vax and anti-mask 'covidiots' could derail Sydney's bid to reopen from lockdown on Friday.
The state has seen a surge of people refusing to wear masks under the current public health orders and politicians are worried it could dent the lockdown timeline.
'We are deep in a war with this virus,' he said on Saturday. 'When you're in a war, you don't win it with wacko views.
'And we can't win this war unless the community are all with us, absolutely. Unfortunately, we're seeing that some people think it's okay not to wear masks.'
A queue of people - some wearing masks - are seen outside a busy takeaway bar in Bondi on Saturday night
Kerbside bars have become the latest trend during Sydney's lockdown (pictured in Bondi Beach)
Some Bondi bars are offering margaritas and beers while others had cups of wine on offer
Crowds of Bondi residents were seen waiting for their food on Saturday night during the lockdown
The Bondi cluster has now grown to 261 with nine of the 35 cases announced on Saturday infectious during their time in the community.
'While as predicted the number of cases is going up, we are seeing a greater proportion of those cases in isolation, which is exactly what we want to see,' the premier said.
'We have not seen a huge surge in cases and we certainly feel through our contact tracing that we are not at this stage missing any chains of community transmission.'
When asked about the possibility of extending the lockdown past next Friday, Ms Berejiklian said it was too early to say.
'I anticipate that obviously some time next week we'll be in a position to tell the community where things are at,' she said.
'It's a bit too soon at the moment.'
Dr Kerry Chant said 29 of the new cases were linked to previous cases, with 14 being household contacts.
A man is seen waiting outside a venue which offers takeaway alcohol in Bondi on Saturday evening
A steady stream of Bondi locals wait outside what have been dubbed 'kerbside bars' on Saturday night
The Hop Hung Asian Grocery in Lakemba has also been put on alert for being exposed to coronavirus
Health authorities have also told anyone who visited the Strathfield Medical Practice in the city's inner-west on July 1 between 1.30pm and 2.10pm to get tested and self-isolate for 14 days regardless of the result (pictured is the Strathfield Plaza where the medical practice is in)
'Of the 35 new locally acquired cases, 23 were in isolation throughout their infectious period,' Dr Chant said.
'A further three cases were in isolation for part of their infectious period, and nine cases were infectious in the community.'
NSW Health have also put 97,000 western Sydney residents on high-alert after coronavirus fragments were detected in sewer readings.
Police officers are seen speaking with people sitting on benches on Bondi Beach's promenade on Friday afternoon
Under NSW restrictions, people are allowed to exercise in groups of up to ten - and there is no suggestion these fitness fanatics were doing anything wrong
The system serves Penrith, Tunks Park, Maroubra, Penrith, Port Kembla and Rouse Hill.
Other areas include Emu Plains, Glenbrook, Glenmore Park Warrimoo, Blaxland and as far west as the Blue Mountains National Park.
Earlier on Saturday Sydney looked as if it had been released early from lockdown with thousands of residents flocking to their local parks and beaches to take advantage of the exercise loophole.
Daily Mail Australia photographers captured the endless stream of crowds soaking up the sunshine with temperatures soaring to 20C in some areas.
Centennial Park - bordered by current cluster outbreaks in Bondi Junction, Randwick and Paddington - was close to capacity as families made the most of the good winter weather.
Locals described the scenes as 'chaos' with not even a single parking spot to be found in the massive parkland area.
And Maroubra beachfront - also enduring its own hotspot alerts - was packed with sun worshippers ignoring the potential dangers.
The NSW Premier admitted it could spark a new wave of infections if people became complacent, especially if playing sport for exercise.
'I'm concerned the good weather and all of us being cooped up, people will let their guard down,' Ms Berejiklian admitted at her Covid briefing on Saturday.
A Bondi-based woman posed up a storm as she took photos on the coastal walk on Saturday morning
Dog-friendly Centennial Park is a favourite for dog owners in the Eastern Suburbs
NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian admitted it could spark a new wave of infections if people became complacent, especially if playing sport for exercise. Locals took advantage of the good weather to relax in the sun at Maroubra beachfront
Surging Covid case numbers won't stop Sydneysiders from soaking up the sun in city parks and beaches, despite the pleas of New South Wales Premier Gladys Berejiklian. Seen here is Centennial Park in Sydney's Eastern Suburbs
'Yes it is great weather - we live in the best place on earth but please be sensible.
'If you're exercising with others outside your household, maintain good social distancing. Don't let an exercise group of 10 become 20 or 30.
'We much prefer people exercising outside in a safe way, in a socially distanced way, and we just ask people not to give up now.'
This weekend's good weather could scupper all the good work down so far though if locals ignore the lockdown restrictions, Ms Berejiklian warned.
Sydney is due to be freed from lockdown at midnight next Friday.