NSW is racing to bring a handful of mystery cases under control just eight days before Christmas.

The state has six locally acquired cases, which haven’t been traced, with five in the Northern Beaches area of Sydney and one in Sydney’s southwest.

Sydney was on high alert as a 45-year-old man who transports international aircrew from the airport tested positive to the virus.

A few hours later, a couple from Avalon in their 60s and 70s tested positive to the coronavirus.

NSW Health Minister Brad Hazzard and Chief Health Officer Dr Kerry Chant are urging people who have visited hot spots to get tested.

Hazzard also implored journalists to ensure that privacy of infected people remained intact, despite naming the band that the initial case took from the airport.

“The gentleman from Frenchs Forest – I have to say the tracing and tracking of our health teams is just incredible – just in the last few hours, they’ve taken histories and managed to work out that this particular person has been working in a band,” Mr Hazzard said.

“The band is called Nothing Too Serious. Certainly from our point of view, I wouldn’t say it’s exactly how we feel, because it obviously is serious.

“We are making every effort to do what New South Wales does extremely well, and that is to keep in the perspective and deal with what is coming our way at the moment.”

“We need to respect people’s privacy as far as possible so they can actually feel confident in coming forward,” he said.

“Look, there have been circumstances. In fact, I wish I hadn’t actually named that band now because some of you will be rushing out. I want to hear that band when they’re well but we need to respect their privacy as far as humanly possible.”

A self-isolate order has been issued for anyone who attended the venues below, which means people must seek testing and remain in isolation for 14 days.

The locations where people need to go into isolation are:

  • Avalon RSL Club – December 11 all day until close
  • Penrith RSL Club – December 13 from 1 pm to 6pm
  • The Kirribilli Club – December 14 from 12 pm to 3pm

Avalon currently has a new pop-up testing COVID-19 clinic at the Avalon Recreation Centre, which is open from 8 am to 10 pm Monday to Sunday so that people are able to get tested.

“It is critical that anyone who was at the [Avalon] RSL club gets tested,” Chant said.

“Our working hypothesis is that someone at the [Avalon] RSL club was potentially the source of infection for a number of subsequent cases.”

Chant also admitted that one of the cases came forward for testing after realising they had been at a high-risk venue.

“That person did not have any symptoms. That person was tested because of our advice around coming forward for testing if you have been at any sites,” she said.

“Remember, for those sites we say even if you had symptoms or not, get tested.

“The reason for that is that if you’re in that presymptomatic period, we know you can be infectious for 24-48 hours before symptoms develop. It gives us that time.

“That person potentially did work and we are working with the residential facility on that, obviously the residents as well may well have gone to other venues.

“I’m aware some residents also get out and about and that some of them – a small number of them – have also attended some of the other venues at the times where we have got interest. We are working with that facility.”