Coronavirus updates: A trampoline centre and a shopping mall visited by COVID case
A trampoline play centre in south-western Sydney has become the latest venue to be tarnished by COVID, with a positive case visiting there on Sunday.
NSW
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A Sydneysider who has tested positive for COVID-19 travelled more than 100km around south-west and east Sydney over four days while infectious.
NSW Health has confirmed the case visited a number of businesses from Saturday to Tuesday, including Westfield Bondi Junction, Flip Out Indoor Trampoline Park, Jasmins Lebanese Restaurant and Carnes Hill Marketplace.
Flip Out Prestons and Jasmins Liverpool have been categorised as the highest risk.
Anyone who visited Flip Out on Sunday 25 October, between 12pm – 1.50pm or Jasmins on Sunday 25 October, between 2pm – 3.30pm is considered a close contact and must get tested immediately and isolate for a full 14 days from exposure regardless of the result.
Westfield Bondi Junction, Watsup Brother Kebab Shop Condell Park, Ali Baba Charcoal Chicken Auburn and Carnes Hill Marketplace have also been identified as risk venues.
Anyone who visited Westfield Bondi Junction Saturday 24 October, between 1.30pm – 4.30pm, Watsup Brothers on Saturday 24 October, between 5.30pm – 6pm, Ali Baba on Monday 26 October, between 1pm – 1.20pm or Carnes Hill Marketplace on Tuesday 27 October, between 3.30pm – 4.30pm is considered a casual contact and must get tested immediately if symptoms appear.
It comes as the state recorded just one new locally acquired case of COVID-19 on Wednesday and seven in hotel quarantine, leading Gladys Berejiklian to demand Annastacia Palaszczuk have the “courage” to open Queensland’s borders.
Ms Palaszczuk is set to make a statement regarding the sunshine state’s hard border with NSW on Friday, just a day before Queensland’s election, and Ms Berejiklian (pictured) said she doesn’t know what will happen.
“But I think it’s rather cute that it’s happening the day before the election, and I’m just so upset and frustrated as to why the border’s been in place for so long,” she told 2GB’s Ben Fordham.
“I just wish that she had the courage to do it earlier.”
The NSW Premier said she has been frustrated with the Queensland Government for its lack of communication.
A decision on the reopening of the border with Victoria will be taken in a “couple of weeks,” Ms Berejiklian said.
HOTEL QUARANTINE SYSTEM STRESSED, SAYS PREMIER
The increasing spread of coronavirus overseas is putting extra strain on the NSW hotel quarantine program with more returning travellers testing positive to the virus than before.
More than 5,000 people are currently being treated in the hotel quarantine system which “has been stressed every day of the pandemic,” Premier Gladys Berejiklian said.
With outbreaks worsening overseas, a “far greater proportion” of returning travellers are coming back with the virus, Health Minister Brad Hazzard said, meaning they are transferred into specialist ‘health hotels’.
Mr Hazzard said the government may seek to set up more of the specially-managed health hotels to treat COVID-positive travellers.
The NSW government has increased calls for other states to do more of the heavy lifting when it comes to welcoming Australians returning from overseas.
Seven new COVID cases were recorded in hotel quarantine in the 24 hours to 8pm on Tuesday.
One locally transmitted case was detected in a household contact of a case linked with the Lakemba GP cluster. That person was already in isolation.
It has been two weeks since a mystery case was recorded.
Wednesday’s cases were detected in 14,382 tests
“We do want to see that number maintained and go up,” Ms Berejiklian said.
“(Chief Health Officer Dr Kerry) Chant and the Minister remain concerned about undetected cases in southwestern Sydney.”
Addressing the media after the government’s weekly COVID crisis meeting, Ms Berejiklian said she wants to help businesses be more “resilient” in the lead-up to summer.
“We really need our businesses to get those QR codes in place so that if there is a case health can get onto it straight away,” she said.
That could mean hospitality venues are forced to adopt QR code sign in processes.
Ms Berejiklian said she hopes an impending announcement from the Queensland government on whether its border reopens is “positive”. She said people are “suffering” because of the state’s border policies.
The NSW Premier has criticised Annastacia Palaszczuk for making the announcement on the eve of the Queensland election, telling 2GB’s Ben Fordham the timing is “rather cute.”
I’m just so upset and frustrated as to why the border’s been in place for so long,” she said.
“I just wish that she had the courage to do it earlier.”
However Ms Palaszczuk dismissed the criticism from her NSW counterpart.
“I have the courage to stand up for what is right,” Ms Palaszczuk said.
“I have the courage to keep Queensland safe and unfortunately, it is disappointing to see the NSW Premier tried to be political at this time when she has enough issues to deal with.”
“This is simply a diversion from what is happening with herself (Berejiklian) down in NSW”.
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Despite Ms Berejiklian’s pleas for a border reopening with Queensland, NSW’s state line with Victoria will remain shut and no decision is expected for another “couple of weeks.”
“I think everyone would accept Victoria is in a different situation, they are still in a partial lockdown,” Ms Berejiklian said on radio.
“We’re going to keep a close eye on that, if we see that within a couple of weeks so those restriction being eased (that) the virus is still under control, we’ll have no issue with taking the border down”.
Victoria recorded two new cases and two deaths in the past day.
Meanwhile, the NSW Health Minister said the commonwealth government’s COVID-safe app “has obviously not worked as well as we had hoped”.
The app has largely not been used by NSW contact tracers.
“But it has helped on occasions,” Mr Hazzard said.
Asked whether it was worth taxpayer money spent on the app and associated advertising, Mr Hazzard said:
“I think anybody who is lying in an ICU on a ventilator would tell you that any step that the government takes is well worthwhile.”
Originally published as Coronavirus updates: A trampoline centre and a shopping mall visited by COVID case