It’s completely appropriate to feel a bit uneasy about the cluster in Croydon and the case in Katoomba, I’d by lying if I didn’t say it was concerning, especially as the northern beaches looks to be pretty much under control but we have to put it in context.

This is the same playbook that played out in months following Crossroads hotel outbreak - localised control then a leak that seeded another small cluster. These were all managed with minimal fuss to the population of Sydney - the hallmark of a successful public health response.

Major difference now is initial outbreak larger due to easing of restrictions but also greater restrictions used to control it. Otherwise as the only current local cases and due to time of year it’s captured all the attention and greater discusssion than previous outbreaks.

Easy thing would be to bow to all the media and online pressure - lockdown - which would be a minimum 2 weeks at great expense to the people of Sydney tbh for unclear medical benefit at this stage other than reduce overall number of cases but that shouldn’t be only consideration

Alternative is to hold the line, have faith in the processes that have been successful until now. Test widely, trace quickly and isolate as needed.

The next few days are crucial.. can the sources of these cases be found, how quickly can we test and isolate contacts to prevent spread and rule out other cases. @NSWHealth has the runs on the board I back them in to handle this just as well as previous outbreaks.

If this can’t be managed and we uncover widespread cases across Sydney by all means greater restrictions may be necessary but they shouldn’t be the initial knee jerk response.

NSW has been able to gather a lot of data over 6 months regarding exactly where COVID is and isn’t likely to spread -I trust that their response is driven by this evidence. They’ve clearly identified household as key vector and enacted limits accordingly.