As long as there are flights returning citizens to Australia, elimination of COVID-19 is impossible. Every day we see cases emerge in hotel quarantine around the country, including in Western Australia.
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NSW reported three new local cases during the 24 hours to 8pm on Sunday, all in a family linked to the Berala cluster.
However, two mystery cases were identified after the reporting period: a western Sydney couple whose infections were discovered after one attended Mount Druitt Hospital emergency department with symptoms on the weekend.
In September, the national hot spot definition of a rolling three-day average of three cases a day was presented as a way for states to decide when to close borders. However, many have not used this definition, which itself has become murky in recent weeks.
Fresh virus alerts have been issued for Sydney - including for multiple shops on the Northern beaches and a sports club in the city s West.
People who dined at a Blacktown Workers Sports Club restaurant between 11.40am and 1.30pm on January 3 for more than an hour should self isolate and go for a test immediately.
The case is linked to the club s Grange buffet restaurant.
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Fresh virus alerts for club in Western Sydney and shops on city s Northern Beaches(Facebook)
People who were at the club that day but not in the restaurant should look out for symptoms.(Facebook)
Mount Druitt Hospital closed its emergency department after a patient with the virus visited.(Nine) As a precaution, we are ensuring that all staff or patients who may have had inadvertent contact are assessed and appropriate public health measures put in place, Dr Chant said. The emergency department has been extensively and thoroughly cleaned and is now coming back online. So just want to thank the cooperation of the residents of that area and local GPs for that impact on the service.
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The patient was transferred to Westmead Hospital where he remains today.
The ED at Mount Druitt was closed for a period of time and ambulances were told to bypass it.