Covid-19 positive removalists travelled to regional NSW: police

Regional communities in Central West NSW have been put at risk, police say, because three removalists who allegedly knew they had Covid-19 travelled through the area on Friday.

Three Sydney removalists allegedly travelled to Central West NSW despite knowing they had been diagnosed with Covid-19.

The men visited at least four regional towns during trip before police were tipped off about their movements on Friday afternoon.

They will now have to face court for breaking Sydney’s lockdown and allegedly putting regional communities at risk.

“We know that the Delta variant is highly transmissible, and it is unfathomable to think that, with all the public information and health warnings, people could so blatantly ignore the health orders,” Police Minister David Elliott said.

Exactly when the removalists learned they had the virus is unclear.

chief health officer Dr Kerry Chant said NSW Health received the results of the men’s Covid tests “and called them when they were just about to conclude some of their business”.

“Unfortunately, those people had also worked in northern NSW on the 15th, and we will be releasing any information that is relevant about that,” she said on Saturday morning.

NSW Health could not confirm whether the men continued working after receiving the results or exactly when they were notified.

However, NSW Police issued a statement on Saturday afternoon alleging the men travelled to Molong after being told they had COVID-19.

Police said the men travelled from West Hoxton, in Sydney’s, west to Figtree and onto Molong on Friday. They also stopped at South Bowenfels and Orange along the way.

Three of the removalists had been told they had tested positive to COVID-19 before they left Sydney.

At 2.30pm on Friday, police spoke with the men, aged 21, 49 and two aged 27, on Speedy St at Molong.

Under a police escort, the men and their vehicles travelled back to Sydney and were ordered into self-isolation for 14 days.

NSW Police Deputy Commissioner Gary Worboys says police are out in force. Picture: NCA NewsWire/Gaye Gerard

The three young men were issued with court attendance notices for not complying with a public health order.

“This thoughtless act has now placed our regional communities in NSW at the greatest risk so far with this pandemic,” Mr Elliott said.

In another concerning breach, a 25-year-old aged care home worker who tested positive to Covid-19 was caught outside his home on Friday night.

According to NSW Police, the man drove from his home in Mount Druitt to Blacktown to buy dumbbell weights. He was fined $1000.

In the past 24 hours, police have handed out 162 penalty infringement notices for public order breaches and responded to more than 1000 Covid-related jobs.

Eighteen people were also charged.

In the early hours of this morning, police came across a man asleep in the back of his Volkswagon Tiguan at Hawks Nest. The 60-year-old man allegedly told police he had travelled from his home in Turramurra for some peace and quiet.

He was fined $1000.

State Emergency Operations Controller, Deputy Commissioner Gary Worboys, said the police response would be strengthened in line with the increase in restrictions announced today.

“Currently, we are seeing millions of people right across this state doing the right thing being let down by a small minority who continue to be irresponsible and put themselves and their communities at risk,” he said.