Testing centres are extending their opening hours across Sydney and Wollongong and a new pop-up site has been established as the number of venues visited by potentially infectious COVID-19 cases continues to balloon.
A Sydney CBD food court, a Coles and a major inner west shopping complex are among the latest exposure sites identified across NSW this morning after the bondi cluster grew to nine.
Moreover, Chief Health Officer Dr Kerry Chant has issued a renewed call for everyone who visited the Westfield at Bondi Junction at any time last weekend to get tested – even if they only went to the carpark.
To encourage more individuals to come forward, Dr Chant said the mandate to isolate after testing until receiving a negative result will not apply to people who went to the Bondi shopping centre but didn’t visit specific venues of concern, unless they develop symptoms.
It comes after health authorities failed to find direct contact between recent cases who visited the centre and infected individuals, leading them to assume they were infected through fleeting aerasol transmission while walking around the centre.
Of most concern among this morning’s new exposure sites is the Birkenhead Point Brand Outlet shopping complex in Drummoyne, where a positive case spent a number of hours last Tuesday.
A number of stores within the complex at 19 Roseby Street have been listed as Tier One exposure sites.
Anyone who visited the stores at the listed times on Tuesday June 15 is deemed a close contact and must get tested and isolate for 14 days regardless of the result.
The Tier One stores are Country Road and Seed, both between 12.30 and 1pm, and Nike between 12.50 and 1.15pm.
