Gladys Berejiklian has warned NSW residents to "brace themselves" for more coronavirus cases as health authorities scramble to determine how an international strain of COVID-19 entered Sydney.
Ms Berejiklian confirmed the virus has an international strain, but said it's yet to be known whether the virus came through quarantine or another source.
“We know the original source is an international source. It's an international strain,” she told ABC News Breakfast on Friday. “But obviously we are yet to work out how it got from the international source to the community, whether it was through quarantine or other sources. That's really the challenge for our genomic experts at the moment.”
The NSW Premier said health authorities are “extremely concerned” by the new outbreak.
“That's why we're saying to everyone on the Northern Beaches community, stay home unless you absolutely have to be out and about.
"We want to reduce mobility, reduce people going to venues which are regarded as high risk, when we know there's the virus spreading in the community.
"And of course, if you're catching public transport, going grocery shopping, please make sure you're wearing a mask. We're asking everyone in greater Sydney to be on high alert."
"I am asking people to brace themselves today, we are going to see more cases overnight. No doubt about it," she added.
"I will be providing an update with the Health Minister later in the day, I want everybody to brace themselves. We are going to have a considerable amount of cases come, I think, during the day, and that is because people have come forward to get tested."
Health authorities are racing to stem the damage from the new, mystery coronavirus cluster in Sydney's northern beaches, which has grown to 17 new cases in two days.
Residents of the peninsula have entered a quasi-lockdown, with NSW Health asking them to stay home as much as possible and not leave the area for the next three days.
Locals should avoid non-essential visits to aged care facilities and hospitals, and steer clear of high-risk venues like gyms and restaurants.
With just one week to go till Christmas, NSW residents will be anxiously waiting to see if the cluster spreads further.
Two northern beaches cases were announced on Wednesday evening, with three more described by health authorities at a press conference on Thursday morning.
News of 12 further infections came on Thursday afternoon.
Authorities believe an Avalon RSL band night might have acted as a super-spreader event.
One of the new cases is an aged care worker at the Pittwater Palms facility.
The source of the outbreak remains a mystery. Sewage testing last week uncovered no virus fragments in the area, indicating the virus was newly introduced to the northern beaches.
Ms Berejiklian on Thursday said northern beaches nursing homes will be locked down until the outbreak is contained, just a week after restrictions eased allowing unlimited visitors.
"We want to get on top of this and don't want this concerning us in the last few days before Christmas," Ms Berejiklian told reporters on Thursday.
"There are a number of aged care facilities which are very vulnerable in the northern beaches ... we're recommending no visitors until we identify the source of the infection and feel more confident we have it under control."
The Pittwater Palms facility is closed to visitors, while those in contact with the infected worker are being tested and are self-isolating.
NSW's 12 consecutive days without a locally transmitted virus case ended on Wednesday after a Sydney airport driver tested positive and two cases popped up on the northern beaches - a woman in her 60s and a man in his 70s.
Health alerts have now been issued for a number of venues across Sydney's northern beaches.
Sydney cluster prompts tougher restrictions
Queensland and Western Australia have toughened interstate travel restrictions in response to the NSW coronavirus cluster, and other states may follow.
The Queensland government has announced anyone arriving in the state from Sydney on Friday, and who has been to the northern beaches since December 11, must get tested and self quarantine for 14 days.
Those measures will toughen further from 1am Saturday, when travellers from Sydney who have been to the region will be forced into hotel quarantine.
Queensland has also banned anyone who has been in the NSW northern beaches region since December 11 from visiting aged care homes, hospitals or prisons in Queensland.
The West Australian government says anyone arriving from NSW is required to self-quarantine for 14 days and get tested on day 11.
WA leader Mark McGowan announced the changes on Thursday evening after receiving the latest advice from NSW.
"I understand these changes will cause some frustration and uncertainty for some people," he said.
Tasmania has already moved to prevent people who visited high-risk locations in NSW from travelling there.
Northern Territory authorities said anyone from the northern beaches area travelling to the NT will need to undertake 14 days of mandatory, supervised quarantine in either Alice Springs or Darwin.
Victoria similarly told entrants to the state from the northern beaches that they must get tested and quarantine in their home or accommodation for 14 days from the date they left the northern beaches.
People in Australia must stay at least 1.5 metres away from others. Check your jurisdiction's restrictions on gathering limits.
If you are experiencing cold or flu symptoms, stay home and arrange a test by calling your doctor or contact the Coronavirus Health Information Hotline on 1800 020 080.
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