Police have laid charges against two Sydney women who allegedly defied orders to return home then visited "several" locations in Newcastle, in NSW's Hunter, before testing positive for COVID-19.
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Police Deputy Commissioner Michael Willing said at Friday's daily NSW COVID-19 update that the 20-year-old and 21-year-old had been charged after travelling to Newcastle two weeks ago.
"Police will be alleging that both of those women have a history of non-compliance with the health orders," he said.
"And I've got to say that people travelling to regional areas from Greater Sydney are putting regional communities at risk."
Deputy Commissioner Willing said police would allege that the women and two Sydney men charged over a Byron Bay visit "knew exactly what they were doing" in breaking the health orders.
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Police allege one of the women, aged 20, travelled to Newcastle by train on Tuesday, July 27.
Officers conducting Opal card checks on a train at Cardiff on the morning of Thursday, July 29, allegedly warned the other woman, aged 21, that she was in breach of public health orders and must return to Sydney.
"She advised police she had boarded the train at Strathfield and intended to get off at Epping, however, had fallen asleep," police said in a statement.
Police said they had found the two women sitting in a car in Sandgate Road, Shortland, at 1.45am on Friday, July 30.
They allegedly provided digital driver's licences indicating they were from western Sydney.
Neither could provide police with a reasonable excuse for leaving the Greater Sydney area and both were issued $1000 fines for breaching the public health order and told to return to Sydney.
Police alleged the women had left the location, indicating they would comply with that direction, but investigations had revealed they had failed to leave Newcastle.
"Further inquiries have also revealed that both women attended several other locations whilst in the Newcastle City and Lake Macquarie police districts," police said.
"Both women have since tested positive for COVID-19."
The women have been ordered to appear in court on September 29 on the charge of failing to comply with a direction under COVID-19 health orders.
One will appear at Mt Druitt Local Court and the other at Hornsby Local Court.
Police said they were continuing to investigate other alleged breaches.
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Hunter New England Health said on Wednesday that a "young adult" had sparked the Hunter outbreak after catching a train to Newcastle on July 27, attending a party at Shortland on July 28 then going to pubs, parties and shops until Sunday, August 1.
"This person ... attended multiple venues across the region, including licensed venues, shopping centres, a party in Shortland and the Blacksmiths beach gathering," HNEH said.
"The Shortland party and Blacksmiths beach gathering are confirmed transmission events."
The Hunter was ordered into a week-long lockdown on August 5, four days after health authorities found a "very high viral load" in sewage at the Shortland and Burwood wastewater plants and smaller traces at Belmont.