Two COVID-19 cases on bachelorette party visited Byron Bay venues

Two COVID-19 cases were on a bachelorette weekend trip from Queensland when they visited several Byron Bay venues that are popular with holidaying Sydneysiders.

A nurse, who works in a COVID-19 ward, and her sister were unknowingly infectious when they visited the Byron Beach Hotel and The Farm, as well as some local shops over the weekend.

Health authorities are anticipating that several close contacts among the party travelled to Byron Bay from a number of locations and have since returned home.

A nurse and her sister travelled to Byron Bay venues, including the Beach Hotel, while unknowingly infectious.

NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian asked residents of the state to avoid travel to Queensland over the Easter long weekend after the Sunshine State recorded four new local cases on Monday, prompting a three-day lockdown for greater Brisbane.

People in NSW who have been to greater Brisbane since March 20 must isolate at home, except for essential reasons including shopping for food and supplies, exercise, work and medical care, under a new NSW Public Health Order issued on Monday afternoon.

NSW Health said they “must comply with the same stay-at-home restrictions that apply to Greater Brisbane, regardless of their current location”, which are due to be reviewed by Queensland authorities on Wednesday night.

Anyone who spent time in greater Brisbane in the past 14 days must also sign entry declaration forms.

People who only transited through Brisbane airport are excluded from these restrictions, NSW Health advised.

“NSW is in a cautious position, [but] we are not shutting down our border,” Ms Berejiklian said, adding that people should reconsider travel plans for Brisbane “and beyond”.

The two new cases, the nurse and her sister, travelled to Byron Bay before they tested positive for the virus but during their infectious period.

They visited Byron Beach Hotel on Friday, March 26, between 7pm and 9pm, and The Farm on Sunday, March 28 between 8.45am and 10.30am.

They also visited Suffolk Beachfront Holiday Park women’s communal toilets in Suffolk Park on Friday, March 26 between 6pm and 6.30pm and 9.10pm and 9.30pm, and again on March 27 between 3.20pm and 3.50pm, as well as Mokha Cafe on Lawson Street, Byron on March 27 between 10.30am and 11.30am.

Anyone who was at these venues at these times must immediately self-isolate and get tested until NSW Health provides further information, the ministry said.

Several other Byron Bay venues have been identified as “casual contact” locations as of March 27:

• Ghanda Clothing, 3/8 Lawson Street, 12 noon-12.15pm
• Tiger Lily, 3/17-21 Jonson Street, 12.25pm-12.30pm
• Black Sheep, 46 Jonson Street, 12.30pm-12.40pm
• Quiksilver, 2 Jonson Street, 12.40pm-12.45pm
• Suffolk Bakery, Shop 1/2 Clifford Street, Suffolk Park, 2.45pm-3/15pm
• Park Hotel Bottle Shop, 223 Broken Head Road, Suffolk Park, 7.30pm-7.45pm

Anyone who visited these locations at these times should immediately self-isolate and get tested regardless of symptoms and stay in isolation until they receive a negative result.

The manager at Suffolk Bakery said she had received a call from NSW Health on Monday afternoon to tell her at least one member of the party had visited the shop on Saturday afternoon. The four staff members working at the time were getting tested and will self-isolate. The bakery is closed for deep cleaning and will reopen on Wednesday, the manager said.

NSW Chief Health Officer Kerry Chant said NSW Health had contacted 1321 people who attended the Byron Beach Hotel and 166 people who visited The Farm during these times and checked in using the venues’ Service NSW QR codes.

“We can keep living a relatively normal life in NSW, notwithstanding what’s happening in Queensland, so long as people do the right thing and check in,” the Premier said.

On social media on Monday, The Farm said it had closed “effective immediately for a full deep clean” after being advised a guest on Sunday morning had tested positive for COVID-19.

“We’d like to thank the health authorities and all our health hero’s [sic] for the amazing work they are doing,” it said. “Thank you to our community for your continued support during this time.”

Byron Beach Hotel’s pub will be closed on Monday night for a deep clean and is expected to open on Tuesday. The resort and bottle shop will remain open, the operators said in a Facebook post.

NSW Health said urgent investigations and contact tracing were under way.

“We will probably be identifying some additional venues associated with our two cases later today,” Dr Chant said, advising people to continue to check the Queensland and NSW health department websites for possible exposure sites. She said these were expected to be venues of “casual” exposure.

The interviews of the two cases are being conducted by Queensland Health.

NSW Health is urging anyone in the Byron Bay area with even the mildest of symptoms to come forward for testing.

News of the cases comes on the first day of renewed freedom for NSW residents. From Monday, face masks are no longer mandatory – though strongly recommended – on public transport. There are no caps on visitors to homes or attendees at wedding and funerals and dancing is again permitted at all venues.

NSW Health reported no new locally acquired cases in the state from 8204 tests in the 24 hours to 8pm on Sunday.

The ministry has identified 13 close contacts of Queensland COVID-19 cases who have spent time in NSW. Some have since returned to Queensland and those remaining in NSW have been instructed to get tested and self-isolate for 14 days regardless of their test result.

Revellers expected for Bluesfest

Organisers said Bluesfest, which is expected to attract 50,000 people over five days, would go ahead from Thursday. In a statement, the festival organisers said that, based on NSW Health advice, ticket holders affected by the Queensland lockdown would not be allowed to attend the first day of the festival.

“We will keep ticket buyers from the affected area updated and advise them to check with the Queensland government to check regularly for updates on the current three-day lockdown,” the statement said.

“We are in continuous conversation with NSW Health and are committed to providing patron, artist and staff safety at all times, when visiting Bluesfest. This is our biggest priority and we will keep you updated.”

The festival organisers said attendees would need to avoid “co-mingling with other patrons”, stay seated during performances and remain in designated zones that they would be required to sign into daily.

“What I would just say to the people of Brisbane who may have bought tickets to come to that festival is: don’t, don’t come,” NSW Health Minister Brad Hazzard said.

Mr Hazzard said 14 COVID-19 clinics had been established, or adjusted their hours, in the Ballina-Byron area to accommodate an increased number of people needing to be tested.

Dozens of locals were queuing for tests at two new COVID-19 clinics that opened on Monday at a drive-through at Cavanbah sports ground and a walk-in pop-up clinic at Byron Bay Surf Club.

People wait in their parked cars to be tested for COVID-19 at Byron Bay.Credit: Oli Ayo

The existing clinic at Byron Central Hospital will extend its operating hours to 9am-6.30pm, seven days a week. Nearby testing clinics at Tweed and Ballina will also extend their operating hours.

Brisbane’s three-day lockdown will begin at 5pm on Monday, with masks to be mandatory across Queensland after confirmation that an infectious COVID-19 case travelled to Gladstone, about 500 kilometres north-west of the state capital.

“This is a huge job now that we have to do because we’ve got more of this community transmission,” Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said.

“We have Easter coming up, we have school holidays coming up, but let’s do it now and let’s do it right and let’s see if we can come through it at the other end,” Ms Palaszczuk said.