New South Wales has recorded three new locally-acquired COVID-19 cases with more than 16,000 people coming forward to get tested in the last 24 hours.

All three cases are directly linked to the Avalon cluster and are all in isolation.

An additional three cases outside of the Northern Beaches region were recorded after 8pm last night and are being investigated, including one in Wollongong, NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian said.

The Wollongong case had visited Sydney but has no obvious links to the growing cluster on the Northern Beaches.

The cluster is now at 129 cases but with positive cases growing outside of the Northern Beaches, Ms Berejiklian warned that the risk in Greater Sydney “is becoming almost equal” to that of the Northern Beaches.

“The risks and Greater Sydney and greater New South Wales is almost as high as the southern bit of the Northern Beaches,” Ms Berejiklian said.

NSW Health has subsequently issued public health alerts for several new venues.

Anyone who attended Wollongong’s St Nektarios Greek Orthodox Church on Saturday, 27 December between 9am and 10.15am, and Holy Cross Greek Orthodox Church on the same day between 10.30am and 11am, must get tested immediately and self-isolate until they receive further advice.

Further, anyone who attended Wollongong’s Figtree Grove Shopping Centre, Wollongong Central and Mona Vale’s Pittwater Place on a range of dates in December are considered casual contacts, and must get tested immediately and self-isolate until they receive a negative results.

Ms Berejiklian pleaded with residents across the state to get tested in higher numbers and to be on “high alert”.

“Even if you live in the regions, if you have the mildest of symptoms please come forward to get tested,” she said.

“You might think you are in a remote part of New South Wales … but you may have been with someone who has been to another part of the state where they could have acquired the virus.Chief Health Officer Dr Kerry Chant also urged residents in the state to get tested.

“Many weeks ago I would have been happy with more than 16,000 test in a 24-hour period, now I would love to see those numbers pushed up, well over 20,000 to 30,000,” Dr Chant said.

On Monday, NSW reached a milestone of more than four million tests since the beginning of the year.

It comes as Sydneysiders have been mostly banned from watching the famous New Year’s Eve fireworks after the city’s harbour foreshores shut down for the first time.

Premier Gladys Berejiklian said on Monday the area will remain in lockdown into the new year after four new local virus cases were confirmed on Monday. A fifth is still under investigation.

A plan to give frontline coronavirus workers from around NSW prime seats to the fireworks on Sydney Harbour has also been cancelled.

“It’s too much of a health risk having people from the regions and from Sydney and from broader regional areas congregate all in the CBD,” Ms Berejiklian said.

Victoria on Tuesday recorded its 60th consecutive day without a locally-acquired COVID-19 case.

Queensland, which has gone 104 days without any community transmission, recorded five new cases in hotel quarantine on Monday. There are currently 13 active cases in the state.

South Australia on Monday recorded one COVID-19 case in hotel quarantine, while Western Australia recorded three COVID-19 cases in hotel quarantine.

Australia’s death toll from coronavirus is now 909, after a NSW man in his 70s who was infected with COVID-19 in March recently died of respiratory complications.

People in Australia must stay at least 1.5 metres away from others. Check your jurisdiction’s restrictions on gathering limits.

If you are experiencing cold or flu symptoms, stay home and arrange a test by calling your doctor or contact the Coronavirus Health Information Hotline on 1800 020 080.

News and information is available in 63 languages at sbs.com.au/coronavirusPlease check the relevant guidelines for your state or territory: NSW, Victoria, Queensland, Western Australia, South Australia, Northern Territory, ACT, Tasmania

With additional reporting from AAP.

Source: news.google.com