Quarantine free travel with New South Wales will remain in place subject to no further significant developments in the Australian state, the Ministry of Health says.
However, in a statement Saturday night the ministry said it is updating its advice for anyone in New Zealand who was at the Westfield Bondi Junction mall in Sydney last weekend. It follows two new cases of Covid-19 reported in Sydney on Saturday, both connected to the busy mall, which is popular with locals and New Zealand visitors. The two new cases take New South Wales’ recent community cases to six.
The ministry said New Zealand health officials have determined that the Covid-19 public health risk to New Zealand remains low as a result of this latest information, but is calling on anyone in New Zealand who visited the mall to get tested immediately.
“However, because one of the cases followed a very fleeting contact with another case at the mall, New South Wales public health officials are now classifying the entire mall and car park as a location of interest, not just the particular shops earlier identified," the ministry’s director of public health Dr Caroline McElnay said.
“Therefore we are asking anyone in New Zealand who was at Westfield Bondi Junction (including the car park) in Sydney’s Bondi Junction on Saturday 12 June between 11am to 12pm or Sunday 13 June between 1pm to 2pm and 4pm to 4:30pm to get tested immediately.
“Anyone who attended this venue must also contact Healthline on 0800 358 5453. Stay at home until you get a negative test result. You should continue to monitor for symptoms and if any symptoms occur, get tested again."
Information about locations of interest visited by the cases is available on the New South Wales health website.