“We urge the local Newcastle community to seriously consider deferring any social events in Newcastle until after Christmas in order to help keep family Christmas gatherings safe,and to help protect their loved ones,the vulnerable and our essential workers.”
On Wednesday night,NSW Health said multiple cases of COVID-19 had been associated with a new venue of concern in Newcastle.
Isolation rules for fully vaccinated people in NSW
- COVID-19 cases: People who have tested positive to COVID-19 using a PCR test (people who return a positive rapid antigen test must take a PCR test to confirm).Isolate until you are medically cleared through a text from NSW Health (usually minimum 10 days).
- Close contacts: Household contacts of a COVID-19 case (including anyone who stays overnight at the home) as well as some social contacts in high-risk settings as determined by health authorities.Isolate for one week,PCR test on days one and six. Avoid high-risk settings for a second week and test on day 12.
- Casual contacts: Social contacts,workplace contacts and other people who may have had particular exposure to a case. PCR test and isolate until you receive a negative result.
- ‘Monitor for symptoms’: An alert through the Service NSW app for people who attended a venue with a person while infectious,but who are thought to not be at high risk of having caught COVID-19.No isolation. Present for a PCR test if you develop respiratory symptoms and isolate until you receive a negative result.
Anyone who attended The Cambridge Hotel on Hunter Street between 6.30pm on Friday,December 10,and 2.30am on Saturday,December 11,is considered a close contact and must get tested and isolate for seven days.
“This venue was visited by confirmed cases of COVID-19. It is likely some of these cases have the Omicron variant of concern,” NSW Health said,urging people who were at the pub “to ensure other potential attendees are aware of this advice”.
Outbreaks of COVID-19 have been linked to a number of the city’s hospitality venues,including The Argyle House nightclub,resulting in hundreds of cases,and Finnegan’s Hotel.
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Before multiple cases were confirmed,The Cambridge Hotel had said on social media it had been advised by NSW Health of a potentially infectious case at the venue,“just like most venues in Newcastle”.
“No surprise here,” a post on its Facebook page reads.
There are now 122 confirmed Omicron cases in NSW,with many more expected to be confirmed as other infections are sequenced.
By Wednesday afternoon,94.8 per cent of NSW residents aged 16 and over had received one COVID-19 vaccine dose and 93.3 per cent were fully vaccinated. In 12- to 15-year-olds,81.4 per cent had their first dose and 77.8 per cent were fully vaccinated.
A raft of restrictions eased in NSW on Wednesday but QR codes remain in use at pubs and clubs.
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Asked on Seven’sSunriseon Thursday morning about Newcastle and whether there would be any return to any form of localised lockdowns,or if that had been ruled out,Jobs Minister Stuart Ayres said the state government “will keep the option open”.
“If we believe it is the right thing to do,that is an option on the table,” Mr Ayres said,adding that the more peoplewho get their COVID-19 vaccine booster shots when they become eligible,the less likely it would be for restrictions to be reinstated.
Earlier this week,Mr Hazzard said no snap lockdowns were on the agenda but also told ABC radio that one thing he had learnt as Health Minister in a “one-in-100-year pandemic is never say never”.
“But we’re aiming to not do that at all if at all possible,” he said. “The focus is about reopening and trying to measure how we do it and make sure that people’s lives come back with some normality.”
Dr McAnulty urged people to continue to practise COVID-safe behaviours,including wearing masks in crowded spaces,washing their hands for at least 20 seconds on a regular basis,and not going out to socialise with any respiratory symptoms and instead getting a PCR test.
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