A new, unlinked cluster of COVID-19 cases in Sydney's inner-west has health authorities bracing for an influx of new cases into the new year.
Six cases have emerged in the suburb of Croydon which have no connections to other known cases yet.
NSW Health contact tracers have been working day and night to trace their movements and dozens of close contacts have already been identified.
Here's what we know about the unfolding situation.
Who are the new cases?
Three adults and three children from one extended family have tested positive to COVID-19 in the last 24 hours.
They live across three households, one in Croydon, another in Sydney's inner-west and another in the city's south-west.
The first case in the cluster was identified late on Monday night.
How did it happen?
The family gathered several times around Christmas and health authorities suspect the virus was transmitted at these events.
However, they are yet to determine which family member first contracted the virus and how.
Chief Medical Officer Kerry Chant said investigations were still continuing and it was too early to pin down the exact event of transmission.
"As you understand, close families often get together at this time of year with multiple other members of families on multiple days," Dr Chant said.
There has been no suggestion that the family breached any health restrictions on gatherings.
Premier Gladys Berejiklian said the new cluster highlights how easy it is to spread the virus at a household gathering with close friends or family.
"[It] demonstrates what happens when there are larger family gatherings and how it only takes one person in that family gathering to give it to everyone else in the family," she said.
What are health authorities doing?
Dr Chant anticipates the cluster will only expand due to the nature of the family's movements and the fact that the gatherings were for longer than an hour.
She said 34 close contacts of the family members had already been identified.
The family has been cooperating fully with contact tracers and details about potential exposure sites are expected to be available on the NSW Health website later today.
"The health experts are working overtime with all extended family members who are involved to make sure that that cluster, all contact details and venues and movements of that family are made apparent so we can identify all the close contacts," Ms Berejiklian said.
What does this mean for Sydney?
Premier Gladys Berejiklian said at this stage the health experts do not recommend a lockdown of Greater Sydney.
Although she described the Croydon cluster as "concerning" because there are no direct links to other cases, she said the other 12 cases reported today were connected to known cases or hotspot venues.
"The health advice is still such that we have a handle on the current outbreak," Ms Berejikian said.
But the Premier said if the health advice changes, she will act accordingly.
She has made a plea for common sense across Greater Sydney though, particularly when there is so much missing information at this stage.
"Even though the health orders allow you to do certain things, you've still got to make assessments yourself as to what is safe and whether your vulnerable family members could be exposed or whether you have a symptom and should get tested and stay home."
What's expected now?
Health authorities expect infections to increase from today, particularly as some people only experience symptoms late in the incubation period, around day 11 or 12.
"I'm expecting the numbers to bounce around for several weeks," Ms Berejiklian said.
Genomic sequencing will continue in an attempt to find how the virus was introduced into the family but Dr Chant said it seems unlikely there are links to the northern beaches cluster.
"We have not found a link to the northern beaches despite 24 hours of really intensive investigations," she said.
"It's not to say we won't but at this stage, that is concerning."
Serological testing will also be undertaken, which Dr Chant says will hopefully indicate which family members became infected first and therefore narrow investigations.
https://news.google.com/__i/rss/rd/articles/CBMiWmh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmFiYy5uZXQuYXUvbmV3cy8yMDIwLTEyLTMwL3doYXQtd2Uta25vdy1hYm91dC1jcm95ZG9uLWNvdmlkLTE5Y2x1c3Rlci8xMzAyMTMwMtIBJ2h0dHBzOi8vYW1wLmFiYy5uZXQuYXUvYXJ0aWNsZS8xMzAyMTMwMg?oc=5
2020-12-30 03:50:00Z
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