Coronavirus NSW: Sydney schools shuts, scams rise in lockdown
Public schools in Double Bay and Homebush have closed due to cases of COVID-19, as authorities rush to contain a growing outbreak linked to the Sydney CBD. It comes after another student milestone, Schoolies, was officially cancelled.
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Double Bay Public School and Homebush Public School have closed due to confirmed cases of COVID-19.
Parents from the Double Bay school were notified to collect their kids as soon as possible this afternoon. It is understood a teacher has tested positive for COVID-19.
“Obviously it’s a shock and quite confronting when it’s your child but it’s a good thing they took action so quickly,” one parent told The Daily Telegraph.
In a statement on Facebook, Homebush Public said the school and after-school care would close after being advised by NSW Health that a staff member at Cubbyhouse Childcare had tested positive for the virus.
“The department will work with NSW Health to complete the contact tracing process and will communicate directly with staff and parents. All staff and students are asked to self-isolate while contact tracing occurs.”
The closures come as alarming data revealed Sydneysiders were waiting too long to get tested.
Data reported in this week’s COVID-19 Weekly Surveillance in NSW report showed that almost half of the cases who acquired their infection in Sydney had a test more than three days after their symptoms began.
NSW Health warned the delay was causing more transmission of the virus because of the delay in isolation of people with the infection.
SYDNEY CBD CLUSTER GROWS
Concerns are growing over a virus cluster in Sydney’s CBD after NSW reported 13 new cases of the virus in the 24 hours to 8pm last night.
Six of the new cases were linked to the Sydney Tattersalls Club gym and 300 George Street cases.
“This cluster has grown significantly. It highlights how quickly COVID-19 can spread,” Dr Chant warned.
Four of the cases were under investigation, two were close contacts of known cases and one was a returned traveller in hotel quarantine.
One of the new cases is a student of St Gertrude’s Catholic Primary School in Smithfield.
A staff member from Ryde Secondary College was also confirmed to have COVID-19 late last night; this case will be included in tomorrow’s numbers.
Not included in today’s figures but diagnosed overnight were two new cases at the Albury-Wodonga border community. Two NSW residents were infected from another border resident.
A fresh warning has also been issued for the Sydney Tattersalls Club, and anyone who attended the venue on August 24 between 8am-2pm is now considered a close contact and must get tested immediately and isolate for 14 days.
NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian also called on people in southwest and western Sydney to come forward as the number of mystery cases continues to rise.
“Every week we are detecting unknown sources, even though it’s relatively low numbers, but every week those numbers accumulate,” she said.
NEW SYDNEY VENUE ALERTS
One of today’s cases attended Anytime Fitness gym in Marrickville on Monday 24 August from 7pm to 8pm. Anyone at the gym at this time is considered a close contact and is required to immediately get tested for COVID-19 and self-isolate for 14 days.
People who have attended the following venues are considered casual contacts and advised to monitor for symptoms:
● The Matterhorn, Turramurra – Saturday 22 August 6pm-8pm
● Parish of Holy Name, Wahroonga – Sunday 23 August 9.30am-10.15am
● Liquorland, Marrickville – Sunday 23 August 5.15pm-5.30pm
● Eat Fuh, Marrickville – Sunday 23 August 5.20pm-5.40pm
● Metro Petroleum – Hurlstone Park – Monday 24 August 10.20am-10.30am
GOLD COAST SCHOOLIES CANCELLED
Restrictions are set to be imposed on the Gold Coast after a new cluster grew overnight, and the annual Schoolies event has been called off as Queensland records three new COVID-19 cases.
It comes as 21,563 tests were carried out.
All new cases are linked to the prison officer trainer at the Queensland Corrective Services Academy trainer who tested positive yesterday. Two are based at Pimpama and one from Forest Lake.
It means new restrictions for the Gold Coast. From 8am tomorrow, only 10 people will be allowed inside and outside for gatherings on the Gold Coast.
Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said all new cases had had mild symptoms. All 200 people linked to the Academy will now be tested after the 25 close contacts tested negative.
As a result, the annual Schoolies has been axed.
VICTORIA’S LATEST
Victoria has recorded 113 new cases in the past 24 hours and sadly, 12 more lives have been lost. More information will be available later this afternoon.
It comes as Scott Morrison has called for a road map for Melbourne to move out of lockdown that is transparent and location-specific.
The Prime Minister will on Friday call for a “principles-based approach to easing restrictions” and shifting out of stage four, with decisions that are driven by data, well communicated to the public, and “co-designed with industry where appropriate”.
SHOPS, GYMS ON ALERT
On Thursday NSW Health issued an alert for various locations across the inner city as well as Hornsby, Willoughby and the Central Coast after earlier cases linked the CBD cluster visited.
One of the cases diagnosed yesterday worked at the David Jones food court on Elizabeth St, while a second case travelled on four trains between Sydney and the Central Coast on Monday and Tuesday.
People who attended Harris Farm in Willoughby on Saturday are also being asked to watch for symptoms after a confirmed case went there between 4pm and 5pm that day.
There’s also an alert for PRP Diagnostic Imaging in Hornsby. A positive case attended on Monday between 10am and 11.15am.
Three of the inner-city cases attended the City Tattersalls Club gym.
Contact tracers are searching for patrons of two Fitness First clubs – one in Balgowlah and the other on Bond St.
NSW Health is also working to contact all patrons who were at the Hunters Hill Bowling Club’s indoor dining room on August 23 from 12pm to 2pm.
People who were there are considered close contacts and must isolate for two weeks regardless of their test result.
People who travelled on the following trains should also watch for symptoms after a case was identified yesterday:
Monday 24 August:
● Sydney-bound train, departing Woy Woy station at 6.49am, arriving Wynyard station at 8:05am
● Northbound train, departing Town Hall station at 5:31pm, arriving Woy Woy station at 6:54pm
Tuesday 25 August:
● Sydney-bound train, departing Woy Woy station at 6.49am, arriving Gordon station at 7:36am
● Northbound train, departing Hornsby station at 7:53am, arriving Woy Woy station at 8:28am.
ROMANCE SCAMS ON THE RISE
Criminals are trawling through the “about me” sections of online dating profiles and behaving like sex predators to steal money from lonely people during the coronavirus pandemic, a senior police officer has warned.
It comes as NSW police detectives see a big spike in the amount of romance scams this year, compared with previous years, with officers also making key arrests in the lockdown.
Financial Crimes Squad Commander Detective Superintendent Linda Howlett told The Daily Telegraph fraudsters had been looking for vulnerable people online before concocting stories of financial hardship and asking them to transfer money.
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Superintendent Howlett, who was the boss of the sex crimes squad, likened their online behaviour to that of child sex offenders looking for at-risk people to groom.
“There are a lot of people with insecurities out there (who) are genuinely very lonely,” she said.
“(Scammers) target those people because they know they’re vulnerable people and they’re looking for someone.”
Police have accused a young Sydney woman, 27, of obtaining more than $670,000 through a sophisticated romance scam where she falsely claimed to be studying to become a doctor, a lawyer and a pilot while also running a business trading in designer handbags. She remains before the courts and is yet to enter a plea.
Last month, police also charged six young men over an alleged $6 million online scam syndicate that involved luring unwitting victims to hand over money by using fake dating profiles.
Ms Howlett said the increasing use and normalisation of online dating made it easier for criminals to target people in romance scams.
“The internet has created an opportunity for people to take advantage of others,” she said.
“These people will spend hours typing the same story … they’ll send it out to probably 10 or 15 people … it’s like fishing, they send it out and see who jumps on board.
“Whatever you do, do not send money, don’t fall for every sob story, be careful what you actually put online about yourself and your particulars, and also make inquires about a person — if they’re reluctant to meet you, that should be a warning sign.”