Brendan Murphy has said the rate of community transmission in Sydney, with a population of over 5 million, is the city that “worries us most of all.”
The National Cabinet has joined together and used Sydney to base their tough social-distancing measures on.
“In Australia, we don't have a diffuse outbreak across the whole country, we have focal outbreaks,” Prof Murphy said.
“The one that worries us most of all is the community transmission in Sydney. I've been saying that for a while.
“That's the one we're focusing on, that's why New South Wales Health has been so proactive and forward-leaning in doing a range of broadened testing in a whole lot of suburbs where they're concerned.
“And the early indications, as we've said, are positive, but we cannot be complacent. We must not be complacent. We must hold our line.
“Our current case rate is very, very low. Every death is a tragedy, but our death rate is one of the lowest in the world so far.
“We don't know what it will be as disease progresses, but we are reassured to some extent about that.”
NSW’s Chief Health Officer Kerry Chant has urged people to get tested if they lived in any of the eight coronavirus hotspots and started showing symptoms.
Three of these areas in Sydney – Waverley, Woollahra, Dee Why – are included.
“In those areas, we have seen a case, or cases, of local transmission where we haven't been able to find the source,” she said.
Dr Chant went on to say authorities “don't have any indication of broad-based outbreaks” in the areas she mentioned, but she wanted to stress “high levels of vigilance” is highly necessary.
This article originally appeared on Over60.