Thousands of Sydneysiders have snapped up flights to Melbourne with an onslaught of travellers fleeing south today amid fears the state s coronavirus outbreak is set to worsen.
There was clear relief for arrivals as they touched down in Melbourne, particularly for returning Melburnians.
Airline passengers wait in line to check in at Sydney s Kingsford Smith domestic airport on December 18, 2020.(Getty)
Thousands of Sydneysiders flocked to Melbourne ahead of border restrictions.(Nine) I think it s going to get worse before it gets better so seems like a good time to be coming home, one man said.
Travellers from the Northern Beaches were glad they made it south in time and say they plan to do the right thing to avoid the spread.
Gladys Berejiklian has warned venues across New South Wales to clean up their act when it comes to QR code check-ins - labelling some absolutely hopeless .
The Premier announced on Friday that Sydney s Covid-19 outbreak has grown to 28 cases after 10 more infections were linked to a cluster on the harbour city s northern beaches.
Over 270,000 residents from the Spit Bridge to Palm Beach have been asked to stay at home for at least three days.
Gladys Berejiklian has warned venues across New South Wales to clean up their act when it comes to QR code check-ins - labelling some absolutely hopeless
Sydney must keep its growing coronavirus outbreak to less than 100 new cases a day to have any hope of containing it, experts warn.
The first three days of an outbreak is vital to stopping the spread because once cases reach that threshold it is almost impossible to trace.
The outbreak now sits at 28 cases over two days with tends of thousands of tests conducted, but that number could grow immensely over the weekend.
Although New South Wales health authorities have moved quickly on the northern peninsula, the state s Covid detectives have not been able to pinpoint patient zero and the initial source of the outbreak.
Sydney s northern beaches should be quarantined from the rest of the harbour city with an enforced military-style checkpoint, an expert warns.
About 270,000 northern beaches locals from the Spit Bridge to Palm Beach are effectively in a gentle lockdown for the next three days after 28 cases were linked to the area in the past 48 hours.
But the stay-at-home advisory is not enough and needs to be ramped up and enforced, epidemiologist Professor Tony Blakely said.
Checkpoints should be set up on the only three road routes in and out of the northern beaches: The Spit Bridge, Mona Vale Road and Warringah Road, he said.
Carefree residents have ignored social distancing at Bondi beach despite Sydney s emerging coronavirus cluster.
Shocking footage of packed beachgoers dancing at a drum circle was shared to the Bondi Community Noticeboard Facebook page on Thursday.
The revelry came as the Northern Beaches was ordered to lock up for the next three days after an explosion of 28 confirmed coronavirus cases.
Hundreds of revellers were captured ignoring social distancing and partying at Bondi Beach (pictured above) despite 28 confirmed coronavirus cases emerging in Sydney s north
Shocking footage (pictured above) of packed residents dancing at a drum circle next to the beach was shared to the Bondi Community Noticeboard Facebook page on Thursday