The NSW south coast remains on high alert after a person from Melbourne who was later diagnosed with coronavirus visited the area in late May.
State health authorities have boosted testing and urged anyone with symptoms to come forward, but no new cases have been confirmed in the community overnight.
Additional testing clinics were set up after Victorian health officials notified NSW Health that the positive case had visited Jervis Bay, Goulburn, Hyams Beach and Vincentia on May 23 and 24.
The person had some symptoms on May 25, after driving back to Melbourne on May 24, and tested positive on Monday May 31 – almost a week later.
NSW Health said there were no new locally-acquired cases in the 24 hours to 8pm on Tuesday from 21,551 tests, compared with the previous day’s total of 9801.
NSW Health increased testing capacity in Huskisson, a township near Jervis Bay, with a pop-up drive-through clinic.
Located behind the Husky Sports Club, the new clinic is operating on Wednesday between 10am-6pm and will be open seven days per week between 8am-6pm. Existing testing sites will also have extended hours.
State health authorities are expected to provide an update on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, Victoria was at the tail end of a “circuit breaker” lockdown to contain an outbreak, however officials are expected to confirm an extension to those restrictions.
On Wednesday morning, there were 60 active infections in Victoria, with more than 350 exposure sites.
South Coast MP Shelley Hancock says the highly contagious nature of the variant is “super alarming” and is urging locals to “please get tested and then isolate at home” and get vaccinated as soon as possible.
“We’re not used to being on high alert on the South Coast,” she told Sydney radio 2GB on Wednesday.
She’s concerned about the impact of an outbreak on the area’s elderly population.
“Sometimes complacency sets in – well, here’s the wake-up call,” Ms Hancock said.
Tweet from @NSWHealth
NSW Health has issued a list of venues of concern around Jervis Bay and is urging anyone who visited them at the times listed on the department’s website to get in contact, get tested and to isolate until they receive further instructions.
The venues include the Green Patch campground and Booderee National Park at Jervis Bay, the Cooked Goose Cafe at Hyams Beach, Coles Vincentia Shopping Village and Trapper’s Bakery and Shell Coles Express Big Merino at Goulburn.
The popular Cooked Goose Cafe has closed for deep cleaning with the owners and eight staff in isolation.
Anyone who lives in Jervis Bay or has visited there since May 22 is asked to get tested and to isolate if they have even the mildest of cold-like symptoms.
Meanwhile, it’s believed the NSW cabinet will consider a plan on Wednesday to fly in 250 international students on chartered flights who will undergo quarantine at special student facilities.
The Daily Telegraph reports that under the proposal, universities would pay for the flights and four quarantine sites have been identified for the students.
-with AAP
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