New Byron Bay venue alerts following Brisbane’s three day lockdown

New coronavirus alerts have been issued for venues in the popular NSW holiday town of Byron Bay after two positive cases of COVID-19 from Brisbane visited the area last week.

The list of venues considered high risk now include:

Anyone who visited the venues during the stipulated times are considered close contacts and must get tested immediately and isolate for two weeks, regardless of a positive result.

A further six locations have been listed as casual contact venues. Anyone who has visited the following stores have been told to immediately self-isolate and get tested regardless of symptoms, and stay in isolation until a negative result is received:

More than 1400 people in NSW have already been told to isolate immediately after two Queenslanders infected with the highly-contagious UK strain visited the holiday hotspot.

NSW’s Chief Health Officer Dr Kerry Chant said 1321 people who signed into the Byron Bay Hotel on Friday March 26 between 2pm and 8.30pm have been contacted and told to isolate.

A further 166 people who visited The Farm in Byron Bay on Sunday March 28 between 8am to 9.30am have also been contacted.

Dr Chant said health authorities were taking a “wide time span” for both venues for the sake of alerting people as quickly as possible.

The two cases are a Brisbane nurse from The Royal Alexandra Hospital and her daughter who travelled to the NSW resort town from March 26 to 28.

NSW Health is now advising people against non-essential travel to the Greater Brisbane area.

Anybody who went to Byron Bay around the time the infected Queenslanders visited should get tested if they have any symptoms.

New testing centres are being set up in the town, including a drive-through facility at at Byron Bay QML Pathology Drive-Through at Cavanbah Sports Ground which can be found at 249 Ewingsdale Rd, Byron Bay.

It is open from 8am to 8pm seven days a week, from midday today.

Byron Central Hospital will also increase its operating hours for tests.

Another clinic will be set up at the Byron Bay Surf Club car park and will be open this afternoon.

As of tomorrow, its operating hours will be from Monday to Sunday between 8am and 6pm.

Byron Central Hospital walk-in – found at 54 Ewingsdale Road, Ewingsdale – will also open from 9am to 6.30pm, seven days a week.

NSW Health said it will also extend the hours of operation of other nearby testing clinics, including in Tweed and Ballina.

NSW Health is currently treating 51 COVID-19 cases, none of whom are in ICU, it said.

Almost all are not in hospital.

Queensland’s cluster has now grown to seven.

Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said she was “very worried” and had not slept as she confirmed the cases were the highly-infectious UK strain.