Fears Sydney's Covid outbreak could explode this week as nearly two HUNDRED exposure sites are revealed across the city in confusing late-night drop - here's the full list and if YOU need to get tested and isolate
- A record 174 new exposure sites were revealed across Sydney on Tuesday night
- NSW Health said there are now too many exposure sites to list in a press release
- The dizzying list of venues span 80 suburbs, including 20 Woolworths stores
- Campsie had the highest number of venues at 14, followed by Bankstown with 11
- NSW recorded 199 new cases on Tuesday, with 50 infectious in the community
A record list of 174 new Sydney coronavirus exposure sites has been revealed, by far the highest number of venues ever released in New South Wales, in a worrying sign the state's spiralling crisis is far from over.
During every one of NSW's Covid outbreaks since the pandemic began, the health department has released a handy daily list of exposure sites where infected people have visited.
But on Tuesday night, officials were forced to abandon their strategy for the first time - as there were simply too many affected venues to list.
The 174 venues are spread across 80 suburbs and include 20 Woolworths supermarkets, three Bunnings, five Coles and a host of cafes, pharmacists and grocery stores.
Instead of adding the venues in a PDF for people to easily check, bureaucrats provided convoluted instructions for how to look at the extensive catalogue of 949 infection sites on their website.
The worrying change of tack came hours after Gladys Berejiklian announced a further 199 cases as Sydneysiders suffer through their fifth week of lockdown.
Scroll down for the full list of new exposure sites
Sydney has recorded 174 new exposure sites - a record for the state. Pictured: A woman in Sydney's inner-west on Tuesday
Among the 11 sites in Bankstown was the Woolworths store inside Bankstown Central Shopping Centre (pictured) which was exposed over 13 days
The worst-hit area is Cabramatta with a whopping 14 sites, including a range of financial branches such as ANZ, a Commonwealth Bank branch and ATM, Westpac, Captain Cash Loans, Hai Ha Money Transfer and Western Union.
Customers who shopped at any of the venues listed have been told to isolate until a negative test is received.
Everyday Happy Shoes is also on the list, as well as New Good Luck Butchery, Phuong Thao Fruit Ang Vegetable, Sharetea Cabramatta, Viet Hoa Seafoods and Woolworths Cabramatta which is listed between July 21 and 28.
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Bankstown came a close second with 11 exposure sites, including Woolworths at Centro Shopping Centre which is listed 13 times under various dates spanning July 20 to July 31 after infected staff unknowingly worked with the virus.
An Aldi supermarket in Bankstown is also an exposure site, along with a BWS liquor store, a post office, Baby Bunting, three pharmacies, a kebab shop, bakery and a fruit store.
A Woolworths supermarket on Patrick Street was also on the list, along with Good Luck Meat, Daily Bread Shop, Coles and Broaster chicken.
There were 20 Woolworths supermarkets added to the list on Tuesday evening. Pictured: People shopping in Fairfield on Tuesday
'To view these venues, please visit the NSW Government website. Click the "advanced filter" drop arrow at the top of the page and choose "sort by last updated' to see the newest additions",' a Twitter alert read.
Once on the site with the advanced filters applied, users can scroll through a hefty and alphabetised catalogue comprising reams of supermarkets, petrol stations, pharmacies, medical centres and restaurants - mainly located in Sydney's west.
One user pointed that the result of not including an easily-accessible list 'is that people will stop looking because it is too onerous, and people who should be isolating will just miss the information'.
In Campsie, also in Sydney's west, there were ten sites including Chemist Warehouse, Discount Drug Store, Alan Lo Chemist, Canaan Supermarket and Wholesale, Om Sri Stores, The World of Fruit and Woolworths.
Worrying modelling shows the virus is likely to spread even further in Sydney (pictured on Sunday) and the latest list of exposure sites only adds to those fears
FIND THE LATEST EXPOSURE SITES NEAR YOU
Pendle Hill recorded ten infection sites, including 7-Eleven on Wentworth Avenue which has exposure five dates spanning from July 14 to 26.
CTC Pendle Hill is also on the list, along with Metro Petroleum, Pendle Hill Fish Market, Halal Meat, Mediadvice Pharmacy, Rajah Supermarket and Woolworths.
Other affected suburbs in the west included Parramatta with seven sites, Casula with five sites, Seven Hills with seven, Doonside with two, Hurstville with three, Quakers Hill with two and Wentworthville with three.
Further east, a person infected with Covid went to Chemist Warehouse on Pitt Street in the Sydney CBD on July 23 between 6.20pm and 6.40pm, and Guzman Y Gomez at Broadway Shopping Centre on July 29 between 8.05pm and 8.15pm.
There were 14 exposure sites in Campsie and 11 in Bankstown. Pictured: A testing facility in Sydney's west on Tuesday
The outbreak in the city's north appears to be fairly contained, with one site listed in Macquarie Park - an Aldi at the Macquarie Centre between 4pm and 4.30pm on July 24.
Other social media users were frustrated that a list was not published in an easy-to-read way.
'We've got to go searching through all the suburbs to find the recent ones?' one user asked.
'So you've just given up now with easy to read updates?' another wrote.
Another Sydneysider was irritated because they downloaded the list from the website, not realising it comprised all 950 exposure sites added during the current outbreak.
Sydney recorded 174 new exposure sites on Tuesday night. Pictured: People lining up for a vaccine on Tuesday
Authorities have yet to find the source of infection for 111 of Tuesday's 199 new cases of Covid-19
'I went to the trouble of downloading the entire CSV file from the website. There are 950 exposure sites. Feel free to let that sink in for a while. Most are major retail outlets,' they said.
Earlier on Tuesday, Premier Gladys Berejiklian announced another 199 cases of Covid-19 overnight, including at least 50 who were infectious in the community.
She said transmission of the virulent Indian Delta strain was still highest in the eight local government areas in the city's west and south-west, including Bankstown and Blacktown, living under tightened lockdown rules.
Authorities have yet to find the source of infection for 111 of the new cases.
There are now 250 patients suffering from Covid-19 in NSW hospitals, including 53 in intensive care and 20 who require ventilation.
Ms Berejiklian said the number of new cases each day could still increase, with officials not yet sure if the Sydney outbreak has peaked yet or not.
'There's clearly been a plateauing in the last week but we don't know if we'll see them worsen before they get better,' she said.
'It concerns me that there were still 50 people infectious yesterday in the community. That could mean we'll get higher numbers.'
Ms Berejiklian also flagged Australia's largest city could start opening up in stages as the state, but for that to happen, she wanted six million jabs in arms across the state within weeks.
State Premier Gladys Berejiklian (pictured) said she wants millions of people vaccinated in just weeks
Australian Defence Force troops have joined NSW police patrolling streets in Sydney's west and southwest during lockdown. Pictured: health workers at a testing site
That would mean half the eligible population receiving either their first or second dose of a Covid-19 vaccination.
'We know that 10 million jabs gives us 80 per cent of the adult population vaccinated,' she said.
'By the end of August, I’d like to see New South Wales record six million jabs - that is roughly half the population with at least one or two doses.'
Ms Berejiklian said though even a 50 per cent vaccination rate would not be enough to completely remove all social distancing restrictions in Sydney.
'We would never relax completely at a 50 per cent vaccination rate,' she said.
'Every milestone we hit gives the government more options but we can't have those freedoms at 50 per cent.'
