COVID blitz: NSW cases, undercover hit squad target venues

Authorities have identified a new venue of concern as part of investigations into two local cases of COVID-19, as the NSW travel bubble with New Zealand is given the all-clear again.

NSW has recorded no new locally acquired cases of COVID-19 in the 24 hours to 8pm last night.

Authorities have identified a new venue of concern as part of investigations into the two locally acquired cases of COVID-19 reported earlier this week.

Anyone who attended Woolworths, Double Bay, on Monday May 3 between 10.45am – 11am is considered a casual contact and should get tested immediately and isolate until a negative result is received.

Six new cases were reported among overseas travellers in hotel quarantine to 8pm.

There were 22,153 tests reported to 8pm last night, compared with the previous day’s total of 13,339.

COVID testing at Bondi. Picture: Darren Leigh Roberts

This comes as travel bubble between New Zealand and NSW will resume on Sunday night as the state again records no new cases.

On Saturday, the New Zealand government announced quarantine-free flights with NSW will resume 11.59pm on Sunday as long as there are no new cases.

Anyone who has visited an exposure venue identified by NSW Health cannot travel to New Zealand within 14 days of their visit.

It comes after direct flights between Sydney and NZ were paused on Thursday after the two positive cases this week.

New Zealand health officials said there was “no evidence of widespread undetected community transmission” in NSW.

On Wednesday, a Sydney man in his 50s tested positive for the virus and wife later tested positive on Thursday.

Genomic sequencing has traced back the virus to a returned traveller who tested positive in hotel quarantine.

However the link between the man from Sydney’s eastern suburbs and the passenger who returned from the US is not yet known.

To prevent further spread, measures are in place until midnight on Monday for Greater Sydney region including Wollongong, Central Coast and Blue Mountains. These include compulsory mask wearing on public transport and indoor public venues.

Bondi Cafe staff compiling to COVID safe rules in Sydney. Picture: Darren Leigh Roberts

QUARANTINE RISK

As authorities search for the missing link, experts say an asymptomatic vaccinated hotel quarantine or medical worker could be the source of the latest case.

Quarantine hotel workers and medical staff that are vaccinated against COVID-19 can potentially be asymptomatic and inadvertently spread the virus, says Professor Peter Collignon, from the Australian National University Medical School.

Being asymptomatic would reduce the chances a person would see for the need to get tested, as they’d have no indication they were sick.

Dr Collignon said a vaccinated person was still at risk, “but a much lower risk”, of spreading the virus. When asked if the strain they may pass on could be less severe, he replied “yes”.

“In some ways, it’s more likely (to be a worker associated with hotel quarantine), because the majority of people associated with quarantine and with the transport of returned travellers are vaccinated,” Professor Collignon told NCA NewsWire.

“Unless this ends up being from an overseas aircrew or something.

UNDERCOVER SQUAD TARGET VENUES

An undercover hit squad of COVID inspectors has begun secretly visiting 1000 venues across the state as part of a major compliance blitz.

Posing as “mystery shoppers”, the Liquor & Gaming officers are monitoring for breaches relating to lack of mask-wearing and failing to require QR code sign in, with venues facing fines of as much as $5000 or even closure.

The inspections, which will target businesses benefiting from the NSW Dine & Discover program, include cinemas as well as cafes and restaurants.

It can be revealed the eight week-long blitz, which quietly began on Wednesday, will this weekend focus on venues in the eastern suburbs including Bondi and Coogee.

The blitz comes after an eastern suburbs resident in his 50s, dubbed “BBQ man” after having visited multiple barbecue stores across Sydney, tested positive for COVID-19 on Wednesday with his wife also later returning a positive test.

Along with ensuring ven­ues are operating in a COVID-safe manner, the blitz will also focus on ensuring businesses are following the rules around the Dine & Discover program such as not inflating prices nor allowing the vouchers to be used for gambling, alcohol or cigarettes.

NSW Customer Service Minister Victor Dominello said businesses were as much a part of the solution as their communities and the government.

“If businesses don’t see a QR code green tick then they will get an inspector’s ­expensive red cross,” he said.

“We’ve all come too far ­together through the last year to now fall victims to complacency.”

Liquor & Gaming Director of Compliance Dimitri Argeres said most businesses were doing the right thing but where there was “intentional misuse” business owners could expect a visit. “While we are looking at compliance with the Dine & Discover rules, our focus remains on ­venues doing the right thing in terms of COVID safety,” he said.

“A key part of compliance for hospitality businesses is the requirement customers sign in using the Service NSW QR code.

“Now is not the time to get complacent, the COVID safety requirements are in place for a reason, and all ­venues need to make sure they are fully compliant.”

Hospitality workers must wear masks again as part of NSW restrictions. Picture: NCA NewsWire/Bianca De Marchi

Those working in indoor venues, across Greater Sydney, who were dealing with customers were also reminded that they needed to wear a face mask at all times, he said.

The inspection campaign will run until June 30.

NSW LAGS BEHIND IN VACCINATION RATES

More than 2.55 million COVID-19 vaccine doses have been administered in Australia as of May 6 but new figures show NSW lags behind Vic­toria. In the first week of those over 50 now being eligible for the AstraZeneca vaccine, a total of 229,491 vaccine doses have been administered in NSW compared to 249,405 in Victoria.

In the 24 hours of May 6, Victoria administered almost double the amount of doses (9937) than NSW (5415), ­des­pite reports of two cases of community transmission iden­t­ified in Bondi this week.

Dr Xavier Symons at the Austrian Catholic University said vaccine hesitancy had grown off the back of the clotting risk associated with the AstraZeneca vaccine.

“Vaccine hesitancy is growing, and our latest study has shown eight out of 10 had concerns about vaccine safety.

“The number who say they will get a safe and effective vaccine is staying steady about 55 per cent but half of those eight out of 10 who have concerns said they were concerned about blood clots, so that is significant,” Dr Symons said.

The current rate of rare blood clotting condition is considered to be around one in 100,000 and cases have now been reported in the over 50s.

Chair of the Global Immunisation Taskforce for the World Federation of Public Health Associations Dr Mic­hael Moore said Australians felt they have the time to wait to assess the full risk of clots associated with the AstraZeneca vaccine. “People feel they have the luxury to wait to see what the risks really are and it is becoming clearer by the day that it is quite small. I have had my first dose of the AstraZeneca I might add,” Dr Moore said.

The latest Israeli study published in The Lancet reported two doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine provides more than 95 per cent protection against infection, hospitalisation, severe illness, and death, including in the ­elderly.