Social distancing restrictions announced for the Greater Sydney area last week after a man in his 50s from Woollahra and his wife tested positive for community-transmitted COVID-19 will remain in place for at least another week.
While the state has gone three days without experiencing any recorded community transmission, NSW Health expressed concern that the “missing link” had not yet been identified between a case in hotel quarantine and the recent case.
“Despite extensive investigations to date, NSW Health has not identified how the initial case, the man in his 50s, was exposed to Covid-19,” NSW Health said on Sunday.
“[This] suggests he acquired the infection through brief contact with a currently unidentified person who was infectious in the community.”
As such, the majority of restrictions will remain in place until 12.01am on Monday, 17th May. Households will be limited to having 20 visitors, and masks will remain compulsory on public transport and in indoor public venues.
Patrons at pubs and other venues will not be able to stand up while drinking, and singing and dancing will still be prohibited outside of weddings. Visitors to aged care facilities will remain limited to two people per day.
The exception to the extended restrictions is that retail customers will be able to shop without wearing a mask, though retail staff will still be required to wear a mask.
NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian thanked residents for their patience on Sunday, saying that, given the “missing link” case had yet to be identified, continued restrictions were necessary to “prevent a super-spreading event.”
