Sydney virus outbreak reaches parliament
The deputy premier is among those isolating after the state parliament was declared a potential exposure venue on one of its busiest days of the year.
The positive coronavirus result for Agriculture Minister Adam Marshall on Thursday morning threw parliament into chaos, with many of the state's leaders deemed contacts and hundreds of people potentially exposed.
Premier Gladys Berejiklian was tested and cleared on Thursday morning, as was Health Minister Brad Hazzard.
However, Nationals leader Mr Barilaro on Thursday night revealed he had tested negative to the virus but had been deemed a close contact.
He will be tested at least twice more, he said, before he is released from isolation at midnight on July 6.
"I will continue to perform my duties as deputy premier while isolating and adhering to all health advice," he said in a statement posted to Twitter.
NSW Health on Thursday afternoon warned anyone who visited parliament on Tuesday - state budget day - must monitor for symptoms.
Anyone who visited the Strangers' Dining Room at parliament between 6pm and 9pm must immediately get tested and self-isolate until they receive further information from NSW Health.
Parliament House workers were told to stay home on Thursday while a skeleton staff of MPs underwent rapid testing to allow the NSW budget to be passed.
Lower house Speaker Jonathan O'Dea on Thursday afternoon said no further MPs had tested positive, but some were still awaiting results.
Premier Gladys Berejiklian on Thursday warned the state was entering its "scariest" period since the pandemic began.
There were 18 new cases recorded from 48,402 tests in the 24 hours to 8pm on Wednesday, 13 of which were announced earlier.
Another six cases were detected after the 8pm cut-off which will be included in Friday's official tally.
That means there's a total of 11 new cases linked to the outbreak that began in Bondi last week that now stands at 36.
All but one of the new cases are linked to a known case or cluster.
NSW Health added several exposure sites including two cafes in Potts Point, two cafes in Alexandria and a health club in Bondi Junction to its list of venues of concern on Thursday evening and Friday morning.
Despite widespread speculation that Sydney was on the brink of another lockdown, the premier held her nerve but flagged a police blitz to nab anyone defying tough new restrictions announced on Wednesday.
"Since the pandemic has started, this is perhaps the scariest period that NSW is going through," she told reporters on Thursday.
"It is a very contagious (Delta) variant but at the same time we are at this stage comfortable that the settings that are in place are the appropriate settings, but that is so long as everybody does the right thing."
