The New South Wales state government has extended safety measures until 12:01 a.m. on May 17, NSW Health said in a statement on Sunday. The restrictions were imposed on May 6 and were due to be eased on May 10, subject to review.
“Despite extensive investigations to date, NSW Health has not identified how the initial case was exposed to Covid-19, which suggests he acquired the infection through brief contact with a currently unidentified person who was infectious in the community,” the officials said. “To safeguard the community and reduce the risk of further transmission, the NSW Government has extended the temporary Covid-safe measures.”
Health authorities reported the initial community case on May 5 and began to trace where it may have originated after establishing the man hadn’t traveled overseas and didn’t work in a hotel quarantine, border or health role. His wife has also been diagnosed with the virus, but since then there have been no new locally acquired cases recorded.
New South Wales Premier Gladys Berejiklian urged the people of Greater Sydney, which includes Wollongong, Central Coast and the Blue Mountains, to be patient.
“Thanks everyone for your patience,” she said in a tweet. “As the ‘missing link’ case hasn’t been identified we’re keen to prevent a super-spreading event. All safeguards/restrictions will be in place for an extra week.”
