NSW health authorities have recorded 10 new coronavirus infections overnight, with all cases either being in hotel quarantine or linked to the Sydney CBD cluster.
Key points:
- NSW Health said one of the cases was a passenger on the same bus as an infectious person
- The State Government said it wasn't ready to make face masks on public transport mandatory
- The Premier said data showed about 60 per cent of people wearing masks on public transport
Chief medical officer Kerry Chant said of the 10 new cases, four were household or close contacts of previously reported cases linked to south-eastern Sydney.
NSW Health yesterday confirmed two passengers tested positive after riding the X39 bus that left Pitt Street opposite Australia Square at 6:08pm on August 20 and arrived at Clovelly Road at Carrington Road in Randwick at 6:40pm.
"[A] passenger was on a bus at the same time as a previously reported case and may have shared other exposures," Dr Chant said.
"Our investigations are ongoing but we are open to the hypothesis that the transmission event occurred on the bus."
Dr Chant said authorities were reviewing CCTV footage but Opal Card data indicated there were 14 people on the bus, including a couple.
She said 10 of the passengers had their personal information registered to their pass.
"We made contact with seven of them through their mobile phones and have left messages for the remainder," Dr Chant said.
"One passenger on that bus did not have a registered Opal Card and therefore we are still making the public aware of the bus route and the details."
Although Dr Chant said it wasn't a "particularly crowded bus", authorities would also be reviewing the footage to see if passengers were socially distancing.
She also said the infectious person riding the bus reported wearing a mask, while the second positive case did not.
There has been mounting pressure from the NSW Opposition to make face masks on public transport mandatory, a position members of the transport union have been pushing for.
However, the State Government said masks continued to only be strongly recommended.
"We need to work with the community. Once we make it mandatory it means there will be no exceptions to the rule," Dr Chant said.
"We need to give the community time to embrace masks, get used to them and to acquire them."
NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian said data from Service NSW showed about 60 per cent of people were wearing masks on public transport.
She said in the latest instance on the buses, however, it wasn't guaranteed protection.
"The health advice says it could give people a false sense of security," Ms Berejiklian said.
"We don't want people wearing a mask thinking they can go out and conduct their business if they are infected. It won't work."
There were 14,432 COVID-19 tests conducted yesterday.
https://news.google.com/__i/rss/rd/articles/CBMiaWh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmFiYy5uZXQuYXUvbmV3cy8yMDIwLTA4LTMxL25zdy1jb3JvbmF2aXJ1cy1jYXNlcy1yaXNlLWJ5LTEwLXN5ZG5leS1jYmQtY2x1c3Rlci1ncm93cy8xMjYwMzM0NtIBJ2h0dHBzOi8vYW1wLmFiYy5uZXQuYXUvYXJ0aWNsZS8xMjYwMzM0Ng?oc=5
2020-08-31 01:11:00Z
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