Tens of thousands of Sydneysiders will have to isolate, with "major concerns" over the transmission of COVID-19 during brief interactions at a western suburbs bottle shop.
NSW Health has ramped up its alert for patrons of BWS at Berala. Most who dropped by the shop across the Christmas period are now considered close contacts and must now isolate for 14 days even if they only attended the outlet for a short time.
"I can't stress enough how concerned we are about the transmission potential," NSW Chief Health Officer Kerry Chant said on Sunday.
The Berala cluster now numbers 13 cases, with five recorded in the 24 hours to 8pm.
There were eight locally acquired cases in total recorded in the state during the period, from 18,923 tests.
Genomic sequencing reveals the cluster in western and southwest Sydney is not linked to the so-called Avalon cluster.
Instead, the source is a patient transport worker who took a family returned from overseas to a health facility. The worker was infected and passed the virus on to a colleague.
The colleague then attended the Berala bottle shop on 20 December for a "very fleeting amount of time" and passed the virus on there.
The BWS store at Berala in Sydney was closed on 2 January. Source: AAP
Other transmission events occurred there from apparently brief exposures, meaning there is an "elevated risk", Dr Chant said.
NSW Health has already contacted 2,000 patrons of the bottle shop but with about 1,000 customers served on Christmas Eve alone, many more are likely covered by the alert period - every day between December 22 and New Year's Eve except Christmas Day.
Close contacts of those exposed also need to isolate until the patrons receive a negative test result, Dr Chant said. She confirmed that means tens of thousands of people will likely be affected.
For a full list of NSW venues and locations affected by reported COVID-19 cases with relevant instructions, click .
Health Minister Brad Hazzard encouraged residents, particularly in the Cumberland and Wollongong areas, to "rise to the occasion again" and increase testing numbers.
"Clearly we have some major concerns in relation to the number of people who may have been exposed in the area around Berala," he said.
Two of the new cases are household contacts of cases in the Avalon cluster, taking it to 148 cases. The other case is a household contact of a previously reported case in Wollongong.
Federal Health Minister Greg Hunt has praised the state's response to its recent clusters, saying the outbreaks could have been on a "vastly larger scale" if it wasn't for the extent and speed of the state's response and its efficient contract tracing system.
Masks become mandatory
The news the state is battling two separate outbreaks comes the day before masks become mandatory for Greater Sydney.
Mr Hazzard said he has asked police to exercise discretion over the next few days as they gain the power to issue $200 fines from midnight.
Masks are now mandatory in shopping centres, on public transport, in places of worship, hair and beauty premises, entertainment venues such as cinemas and other indoor venues like post offices and banks.
All hospitality staff are also required to wear one.
Children under 12 and those with specific health disorders are exempt but encouraged to wear masks where possible.
Stay-at-home orders continue for residents north of Narrabeen Bridge on the Northern Beaches until at least 9 January, while the southern half of the peninsula now has the same restrictions as the rest of Sydney.
Restrictions on businesses and gatherings include gym classes reduced to 30 people and places of worship and funerals to one person per four square metres, and up to a maximum of 100 people per separate area.
Outdoor performances and protests are reduced to 500 people and controlled outdoor seated events reduced to 2,000. For a full list of public health orders and restrictions, click
The NSW government has defended allowing the Australia-India Test match to be played next week the SCG. At least 20,000 people are expected to attend daily.
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