Sydney's clusters spread: ANOTHER restaurant in the heart of the city is forced to close and two more pubs shut their doors due to COVID-19 cases
- The Apollo restaurant in Potts Point closed after it found a patron had COVID-19
- Two pubs in Mount Pritchard were forced to shut after two confirmed cases
- NSW is on high alert after recording additional 17 coronavirus cases on Monday
- Premier Gladys Berejiklian announced spike - eight are linked to known clusters
- Eight were travellers in hotel quarantine and other nine were local transmissions
Another restaurant in Sydney has been forced to closed along with two pubs after they were linked to separate cases of coronavirus.
NSW residents are being urged to remain on high alert and monitor their health with the state's total reaching 3,496 after 17 were recorded on Monday.
Late on Monday NSW Health put out an alert for The Apollo restaurant at Potts Point, urging anyone who visited from Thursday 23 to Saturday 25 July to get tested and quarantine for 14 days.
Late on Monday NSW Health put out an alert for The Apollo restaurant at Potts Point, urging anyone who visited from Thursday 23 to Saturday 25 July to get tested and quarantine for 14 days
Testing in Sydney will be ramped up with with residents of Harris Park and Middleton Grange in the city southwest told to get tested (registered Nurse Michelle Gibbons conducts a COVID-19 swab test as large crowds queue at a Bondi Beach drive-through testing clinic on July 22)
Mounties on Meadows Road and the Pritchard's Hotel, both in Mount Pritchard, have also had to close after a customer went to both venues while infected.
All staff and guests who attended Mounties on July 23 between midnight and 3am as well as July 24 between 11am-3pm and 8pm-midnight must isolate for two weeks.
Meanwhile, anyone who was at the bistro of the Pritchard's Hotel on July 23 between 7 and 7.45pm is being told to get tested if they have symptoms.
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Pritchards Hotel released a statement on Monday confirming their closure.
'We have been notified today (27 July) that a guest in our venue has tested positive for the Coronavirus (COVID-19),' the Facebook post said.
'As a licensed venue, we already have very high standards of cleaning and hygiene in place, and the venue has a detailed deep clean scheduled overnight tonight.
'If you visited Pritchards Hotel on Thursday 23 July between 7.00pm and 7.45pm and have since displayed symptoms, or do so in the next two weeks, we urge you to contact the Department of Health.'
All staff and guests who attended Mounties on July 23 between midnight and 3am as well as July 24 between 11am-3pm and 8pm-midnight must isolate for two weeks
Pritchards Hotel released a statement on Monday confirming their brief closure and that a patron tested positive for the virus
NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian said the coming weeks were critical for managing the spread of the virus and urged the public to remain vigilant.
'NSW given the circumstances is holding the line and doing ok but we are still on high alert,' she said on Monday.
The premier said there had been an improvement in business safety practices since new virus measures were introduced on Friday but said police and compliance officers would continue to monitor the situation.
She also stressed the importance of maintaining physical distancing in public spaces.
'It is so important for all of us not to let down our guard because when you let down your guard the virus can take hold and spread.'
Premier Gladys Berejiklian urged residents to remain vigilant with social distancing to ensure we can 'continue to have this level of freedom'
Four of Monday's cases are linked to the funeral service cluster in Sydney's southwest, three are household contacts of cases associated with the Thai Rock restaurant in Wetherill Park, and two are under investigation.
Eight are returned travellers in hotel quarantine.
There are now two cases linked to the Thai Rock at Potts Point after a diner who visited the restaurant on July 17 tested positive last week.
A staff member has now also become a confirmed case and investigations to date have not identified links between cases at the two restaurants.
The staff member is not included in the three cases linked to Thai Rock Wetherill Park on Monday.
Anyone who attended the Potts Point restaurant for more than two hours between July 15 and July 25 should get tested and self-isolate for 14 days since they were last there, regardless of symptoms.
A couple who tested positive for COVID-19 following the Bankstown funeral attended Tan Viet Noodle House in Cabramatta, which is also known as Crispy Chicken Noodle House, between 1pm and 2pm on July 22 and An Restaurant in Bankstown between 9am and 11am on July 23.
Anyone who attended these venues is asked to watch for symptoms and get tested if symptoms appear.
A case linked to the funeral cluster is a student at Georges River Grammar School in Georges Hall in Sydney's southwest.
The school is closed for cleaning and close contacts are being directed to self-isolate.
The recent spike in cases in Sydney prompted a tightening of restrictions by the NSW Premier, especially on hospitality venues with hundreds of 'COVID army' officers conducting checks on the weekend (pictured)
A staff member from Potts Point Thai Rock restaurant (pictured) tested positive for COVID-19
NSW Chief Medical Officer Kerry Chant told reporters there were 101 COVID-19 cases being treated by NSW Health.
Five people are in intensive care, with 90 per cent of cases in out-of-hospital care.
NSW Police have issued three $1000 infringement notices to residents who failed to self-isolate when returning from Victoria.
Ms Berejiklian implored people not take part in the Black Lives Matter protest planned for Tuesday.
'Conducting a protest at this time is highly irresponsible, we're in a pandemic, this is not usual circumstances.'
The Sydney protest was blocked by the NSW Supreme Court on Sunday due to concerns about COVID-19 community transmission.
Hundreds of 'COVID army' officers (pictured) have been out inspecting venues and issuing fines to those found in breach of restrictions
