BY JARROD MELMETH
UPDATE 1PM:
Hunter New England have upgraded the Costco Boolaroo site to a close contact one.
Anyone who attended the Costco Warehouse from 16 August - 20 August is a close contact and must get tested and isolate for 14 days.
Anyone who attended the Costco petrol station and membership office, anytime from 16 August - 20 August is a casual contact and must get tested and isolate until a negative result is received.
It comes after a worker from Sydney worked at the site while unknowingly infectious, to date more than 400 people have been identified as contacts and forced into isolation.
EARLIER:
The Hunter has recorded seven new cases of COVID-19, bringing the regions total to 161 cases since the local outbreak began on August 5.
Of the seven local cases, two are in Jesmond, one in Islington, two in Edgeworth and two in Branxton.
Three of the new cases in Jesmond and Islington were infectious while in the community, while all are linked to existing cases.
State wide, NSW recorded another record day with 830 cases. Three more deaths were also recorded. One man in his 60's from south western Sydney, a woman in her 80's also from south western Sydney, and another man in his 70's from south eastern Sydney.
NSW Health Minister Brad Hazard praised the states vaccination rates with almost 58 per cent of residents having had their first dose of a COVID-19 vaccination. It brings the states vaccination numbers in line with some of the highest in the world right now.
On Saturday, about a dozen people marched from Nobbys Beach towards Merewether protesting the lockdown as well as the vaccine. The march took a turn at King Edward Park where a woman wearing a 'no poison in my body' t-shirt was spoken to by police. The woman ran from the officers before she was tackled to the ground by an officer subsequently being taken away by ambulance.
Another woman was also taken away in a police paddy wagon following a verbal altercation with police.
Over 900 Penalty Infringement Notices were issued in the past 24 hours most of which were to people protesting in Sydney's CBD.
A Lake Macquarie woman who was meant to be isolating was issued a $5,000 PIN after being found at a premises in Kurri Kurri.
A number of exposure sites have been added overnight including in Wallsend, Elemore Vale, Boolaroo, Hamilton and Cardiff.
Anyone who attended the following venues at the specified dates and times is considered a casual contact and must get tested and isolate until a negative result is received.
- Costco petrol station and membership office, Boolaroo (updated times) anytime between Monday 16 August - Friday 20 August
- Hotel Elemore Vale Bottle Shop on Friday 13 August between 7pm - 7:10pm
- BWS, Wallsend on Saturday 14 August between 4:23pm - 4:29pm
- Aldi, Hamilton on Friday 20 August between 1pm - 1:25pm
- BWS, Cardiff Marketplace on Tuesday 17 August between 5:20pm - 5:26pm
For the full list of dates and times for any of the venues of concern, head to the NSW Health website.
