Thousands of students and teachers are forced into isolation after three pupils test positive for COVID-19 at two Sydney schools - and authorities have no idea where the cases originated
- Hundreds of staff and students in Sydney have been forced into isolation
- One pupil from Bonnyrigg High School has tested positive for COVID-19
- Two students from Greenway Park Public School in Carnes Hill tested positive
Thousands of staff and students in Sydney have been forced into isolation after three students tested positive for COVID-19.
Greenway Park Public School in Carnes Hill, west of Casula, has been closed for deep cleaning after two students tested positive for the illness.
Bonnyrigg High School, in Sydney's west, has also closed after a student returned a positive test.
NSW Education said the contact tracing process is underway for both schools, with before and after school care programs been cancelled.
Testing has been ramped up in Sydney (pictured, in Rushcutters Bay on Sunday) after a series of clusters formed across the city
Greenway Park Public School in Carnes Hill, west of Casula, has been closed for deep cleaning after two students tested positive for the illness
'All staff and students are asked to self-isolate while contact tracing occurs,' the department said.
Students will be advised on when the school will reopen on Tuesday afternoon.
NSW reported 13 new COVID-19 cases on Monday, four of which were returned travellers from overseas or Victoria.
Others were linked to clusters and one case had no known source.
Share this article
The concerning new trend prompted Premier Gladys Berejiklian to backtrack on previous advice that masks were not necessary.
On Sunday, Ms Berejiklian said authorities would not make mask usage mandatory in NSW, but revised current recommendations to address four specific circumstances.
Masks should be worn by public-facing employees such as hospitality or grocery workers, worshippers and residents of suburbs near COVID-19 clusters, as well as in situations where social distancing is impossible.
A nurse takes a nasal swab from a patient at the Bondi Beach coronavirus drive-through testing facility on Thursday
Bonnyrigg High School, in Sydney's west, has also closed after a student returned a positive test
'We have been talking about masks for several weeks but obviously the persistent situation in Victoria gives us cause for alarm in terms of the potential for further seeding in NSW, and it is about risk mitigation strategy,' Ms Berejiklian said.
'We're going to the next stage of assessing what else and how else we can decrease the risk and break the current chain coming through NSW.'
Ms Berejiklian said she will be heeding the advice of health authorities in her daily life, calling wearing a mask 'the fourth line of defence'.
'I want to stress it is not compulsory, but it is a strong recommendation from NSW Health, given where we are in the pandemic, given the risk posed from Victoria and given the rate of community transmission in New South Wales,' she said.
'I myself, when I next go grocery shopping, will be wearing a mask.'
NSW residents are being recommended to wear face masks in public as coronavirus case numbers continue to rise. Pictured: a shopper wears a face mask in Woolworths in Sydney on Friday
Cleaning crews are seen entering Keilor Views Primary School in Melbourne in June before the city was forced into lockdown (pictured)
The state has been recording steady daily increases in virus cases in the low double digits to reach a total of 3797 cases on Monday.
It was a Victorian who brought the sickness over the border sparking the current New South Wales outbreak, and the border has now been firmly sealed.
Melbourne's horror second wave has halted the economic recovery of the entire nation, with nearly all states and territories retreating on plans to lift restrictions and reopen their borders.
As Victoria recorded 429 new cases and 13 deaths on Monday, Premier Daniel Andrews announced details of the stage four measures that will put 250,000 people out of work for at least the next six weeks.
A woman is seen wearing a mask as she heads for a surf in Bondi (pictured on Sunday) after more cases were reported in Sydney
Victorian hopes the drastic lockdowns will quickly crush the coronavirus case spike that is derailing Australia's recovery that was once the envy of the world
Prime Minister Scott Morrison has admitted Victorians will feel 'anger and fury' at the unprecedented lockdown measures, as a frontline nurse warned the state's coronavirus crisis would likely deepen in the coming days.
'I understand people's frustration. I understand their anger. In some case, I certainly understand their fury,' Mr Morrison said from Parliament House on Monday.
'I also understand their tears and their deep disappointments.'
The Victorian government hopes the drastic lockdowns, which include an 8pm to 5am curfew, will crush the infection spike derailing Australia's recovery, which was once the envy of the world.
A man in a face mask at Flinders Street Station on Monday (pictured). Face masks are now mandatory in Victoria
Empty streets in Melbourne on Saturday in the lead-up to Sunday's curfew announcement (pictured, Little Burke St in Chinatown)
Premier Andrews has outlined a three-tiered system for workplaces, effective from Thursday, to complement the state's six-week stage four lockdown.
'There will be very significant pain,' he said on Monday.
He estimated roughly 250,000 workers would be stood down under the latest changes.
They'll join a further 250,000 people who are already out of work under stage three restrictions, with another 500,000 people working from home.
Supermarkets, grocery stores, bottle shops, pharmacies, petrol stations, post offices and banks will remain open as part of the first group.
Hardware stores such as Bunnings will be accessible to tradespeople, but move to 'click and collect' for members of the public.
What will still be open in Melbourne Stage 4
Supermarkets, bottle shops, petrol stations, pharmacies, post offices, banks
Retailers working onsite to fulfill online orders
Hardware, building an garden supplies for trade
Specialist stationery for business use
Motor vehicle parts for emergency repairs, mechanics
Locksmiths, laundry and dry cleaners, maternity supplies
Disability and health services and equipment, mobility devices
Farms and commercial fishing
Vets, pounds and animal shelters
Construction of critical infrastructure and services to support those projects
Supermarkets will stay open
Critical repairs to homes where required for emergency or safety
Cafes and restaurants for takeaway
Media
Critical service call centres
Medicare
Law enforcement and courts for urgent matters
Prisons, facilities for parolees, adult parole board, youth justice facilities
Emergency services
Essential maintenance and manufacturing
