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Director of Public Health Dr Caroline McElnay, pictured last year, said quarantine free travel would remain in place despite two new Covid cases in Sydney.
The Ministry of Health is asking anyone in New Zealand who were at locations of interest in Sydney to make contact, get tested, and to stay at home until they receive a Covid-19 negative test.
New South Wales Health revealed on Saturday that the Sydney Covid cluster had expanded to six people after two additional cases of the virus had been detected.
New Zealand’s quarantine free travel bubble with New South Wales is to remain in place despite two new Covid-19 cases being detected in Sydney, but on Saturday night the Ministry updated its advice, asking affected people to get tested.
Because one of the Sydney cases followed a very fleeting contact with another case at the mall, New South Wales public health officials are classifying the entire mall and car park as a location of interest, not just the particular shops earlier identified.
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“Therefore we are asking anyone in New Zealand who was at Westfield Bondi Junction (including the car park) in Sydney’s Bondi Junction on Saturday 12 June between 11am to 12pm or Sunday 13 June between 1pm to 2pm and 4pm to 4:30pm to get tested immediately,” said New Zealand director of public health, Dr Caroline McElnay.
Anyone who attended this venue must also contact Healthline on 0800 358 5453, and should say at home until they get a negative test result. They should continue to monitor for symptoms and if any symptoms occur, get tested again.
“We continue to closely monitor the situation in New South Wales – as we do when any community cases of this nature emerge – and will issue updated health advice if and when required,” McElnay said.
New South Wales recorded two locally acquired cases of Covid-19 in the 24 hours to 8pm Friday night, one of which was announced Friday morning.
Earlier, New Zealand’s health ministry said the quarantine free bubble would remain in place with New South Wales, “subject to no further significant developments in the Australian state”.
McElnay said the ministry is “continuing to closely monitor the situation in New South Wales – as we do when any cases of this nature emerge – and will issue updated health advice if required”.
STUFF
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and director-general of health Dr Ashley Bloomfield provide an update on the Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine roll-out. (Published June 18, 2021)
The ministry is contacting people who have travelled from Sydney to New Zealand since June 11 to advise them to check the locations of interest and self-monitor for symptoms of Covid-19.
The Ministry of Health also issued some specific travel advice, noting that flights from New South Wales to New Zealand would continue, subject to developments, and asked anyone at the Sydney locations of interest to follow NSW health advice regarding testing and isolation, “and must not travel to New Zealand within 14 days from when they were at the location”.
The list of exposure sites stretches from Bondi Junction and Vaucluse across to North Sydney, Campbelltown, Newtown, North Ryde, Redfern and Zetland.
Information about locations of interest visited by the cases is available on the New South Wales health website.
