25 COVID-19 cases linked to Rose of Sharon childcare centre, Blacktown

The distressed owner of a western Sydney childcare and pre-school that has emerged as a coronavirus hotspot had no idea that so many of her young charges and their families had tested positive to the deadly virus.

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The distressed owner of the Rose of Sharon daycare centre — which has become a coronavirus hotspot in Sydney — had no idea that so many of her young charges and their families had tested positive to the deadly virus.

Alice, who owns the Blacktown centre, was shocked when contacted by The Sunday Telegraph and told of the 25 cases revealed by NSW Health on Saturday afternoon.

Seven staff members and six children at the Stephen Street centre have been struck down with the virus, with a further 11 family members and one friend also returning positive test results.

The Rose of Sharon Childcare Centre in Blacktown. Picture: Google

Alice, who didn’t want to give her surname, knew of the teachers, but believed only one child had been infected.

“Oh no, it’s only one child,” she said when told of the six cases.

“My God, that is so sad, I had no idea.”

She said the staff members who tested positive were “very young – between mid-20s and mid-30s” and said two were “very sick in hospital” while the others were at home recovering.

Alice, who has run the long daycare centre since 2009, said she wasn’t sure who had unknowingly brought the virus to the school originally but suggested it may have been a staff member who also worked as a cleaner at Tyndale Christian School.

The school was shut down earlier this week when two students and an ancillary staff member tested positive to COVID-19.

“If it wasn’t a child, then it may have been a staff member who also works at Tyndale,” Alice said.

The pre-school to Year 12 Christian school, located on Douglas Rd, is less than 5km from Rose of Sharon.

NSW Health has been contacted for comment.

The childcare centre has been closed.

The new instances of COVID-19 come as NSW registered 2580 cases by Sunday morning.

There have been 16 deaths in the state with the national toll rising to 34 after the death of four men, three who were passengers on the Ruby Princess.

New cases diagnosed in NSW on Saturday include a nurse who worked across two aged care facilities in the northern suburbs – Alexander Aged Care Brookvale and Scalabrini Allambie Heights. Contact tracing is under way to alert those who have been in contact with the nurse to monitor for symptoms.

NSW Health has advised that a number students and teachers from schools across the state have also tested positive to COVID-19.

Seven staff members and six children at The Rose of Sharon childcare centre in Blacktown have been struck down with the virus.

A staff member at Gloucester Primary School is one confirmed case but the school remains open as it has been more than two weeks since the teacher was present.

St Mary’s Senior High School has been closed after a student tested positive and a teacher at Wiley Park Girls High School returned a positive test.

St Michael’s Catholic Primary School in Belfield has a confirmed case, a student, and authorities are investigating after a child at the Woodport Early Learning Centre was struck down by the disease.

A student at Bankstown Senior College and a teacher at Kambala in Rose Bay have also returned positive test results.

Testing is currently underway of 110 people currently quarantined in Sydney hotels as part of the federal government’s strict new entry regulations. They are displaying symptoms of COVID-19 and NSW Health is contacting fellow passengers of those possible cases to monitor for symptoms.

Originally published as 25 COVID-19 cases linked to Rose of Sharon childcare centre, Blacktown