Authorities fear Christmas party at Bronte Beach could be a 'superspreader event'

Health experts are worried a Bronte Beach backpacker party yesterday had all the makings of a COVID-19 "superspreader event".

NSW Police were called to the popular beach in Sydney's eastern suburbs to break up large crowds gathered at a Christmas Day event, dispersing scores of revellers in Santa hats who appeared to be giving little consideration to social distancing.

In a video of the event, crowds of people, many of them backpackers, can be seen bunched together while singing and dancing.

NSW Health Minister Hazzard today slammed the partygoers.

"It is absolutely appalling to see what was clearly a group of people, a large gathering of people who didn't give a damn about the rest of Sydney," he said.

"Let me tell you, that event, I am hoping, will not become a superspreader event. But has every chance that it could be.

"Obviously in the earlier stages of the pandemic we had some challenges with backpackers with backpackers who clearly wanted to party in the eastern suburbs. It cannot go on."

The party was held just half an hour's drive from the Northern Beaches where thousands of families remain under lockdown this Christmas due to a coronavirus outbreak. Strict rules meant many were unable to celebrate the day with the people they love.

READ MORE: Stay-at-home orders resume for Sydney's Northern Beaches

"I didn't see my friends because it was 'ten people, ten people, ten people'," Bronte local Celio Agostinho told 9News.

"These guys came (with) like 1000 people. It's not on."

The party was also held on a day where NSW recorded seven new locally acquired cases of COVID-19, all seven of which are linked to the Avalon cluster.

"It was completely disrespectful, it was completely unacceptable, and it was a complete slap in the face to our community, because these people really don't care" Waverley Council Mayor Paula Masselos said.

The Bronte event wasn't the only Christmas gathering where virus guidelines were flouted.

At Baulkham Hills in Sydney's west, crowds gathered at Christmas lights on the Hillsong campus — though the church said visitors were likely to have been "outsiders".

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