Thousands of people queue to get tested for Covid-19 after a supermarket in the Blue Mountains is exposed – with many forced to turn away and head to another centre
- Blaxland IGA in Blue Mountains was listed as exposure site on Sunday 6am-4pm
- Residents in the area flocked to various testing sites on Tuesday morning
- One said there was a four-hour wait at one clinic with cars queued down road
- NSW recorded 19 new infections with 11 new exposure sites plus trains and buses
Hundreds of cars are stuck in a never-ending queue down a main road as Sydneysiders swarm Covid testing clinics.
The Supa IGA in Blaxland, in the Blue Mountains, was listed as an exposure site by NSW Health from 6am to 4pm on Sunday - prompting those in the area to race in for a test on Tuesday morning.
This was the first time a location in the Blue Mountains was listed as an exposure site as the outbreak spreads father away from its Eastern Suburbs epicentre.
Some sitting in the enormous queue at the Regatta Centre testing clinic in Penrith were told it would be a four-hour wait while others gave up and went home.
Those who were at the supermarket within the exposure window are urged to get tested immediately and isolate until a they get a negative result.
Countless cars are seen queueing at the Regatta Centre testing clinic in Penrith on Tuesday morning
Some sitting in the never-ending queue at the Regatta Centre testing clinic in Penrith have been told it will be a four-hour wait while others have given up and gone home
One Penrith local said he and his girlfriend drove around the area all morning trying to find a clinic to get tested after they were caught at the IGA within the exposure times.
'The guy working (at the Regatta Centre) was telling everyone it was going to be a four-hour wait and some were staying, while others just did a U-turn and went elsewhere,' the man told Daily Mail Australia.
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'We went straight to Nepean Hospital but there was already a line of about 60 people waiting to get tested.'
The resident is now waiting for a test at the Kingswood pop up clinic and said after about an hour of waiting there were still 30 cars in front of him and just two staff.
There are just two staff on at the Kingswood pop up testing clinic with around 30 cars waiting to be tested
The Supa IGA in Blaxland (pictured), in the Blue Mountains region has been listed as an exposure site by NSW Health from 6am to 4pm on Sunday June 27 - prompting those in the area to race in for a test on Tuesday morning
The man said there were up to 80 people at the Blaxland IGA when he shopped at the store on Sunday.
'It was nearly all elderly people there because it's quite an older demographic in the area,' he said.
'Up here a lot of people are scared about the virus because of the older population. I'll be surprised if there aren't more cases that come from this.'
NSW recorded 19 new infections on Tuesday with all but two linked the known outbreak.
Premier Gladys Berejiklian on Tuesday also announced economic support measures for the state's businesses closed by the lockdown, including grants of between $5,000 and $10,000 depending on how much income they lost.
The funds will not be available until July 19 when the lockdown is expected to be over and their lost income can be tallied.
New South Wales meanwhile recorded 19 new infections on Tuesday with all but two linked to known outbreaks (health care worker conducts a deep clean in Marrickville)
Sydney, Wollongong, the Blue Mountains, Shellharbour and the Central Coast are just three days into the lockdown, which includes strict stay-at-home orders
The Dine and Discover scheme will be extended by a month to August 31, with NSW residents now also allowed to use the entertainment and hospitality vouchers for takeaway and deliveries.
Sydney, Wollongong, the Blue Mountains, Shellharbour, and the Central Coast are just three days into the lockdown, which includes strict stay-at-home orders.
Chief Health Officer Kerry Chant said a student at Rose Bay Secondary College in Sydney's east was among the new infections who were active in the community while potentially infectious.
Eleven more venues, 10 buses, and six trains exposed to the virus were announced on Tuesday morning including a Bondi McDonald's, Macquarie Bank, and an entire hotel in Mascot.
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