Exclusive men’s club hit as NSW coronavirus cases soar
One of the nation’s most exclusive “gentlemen’s clubs” — the 182-year-old Australian Club in Sydney’s CBD — is now even harder to get into, forced to close because of a coronavirus scare.
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One of the nation’s most exclusive “gentlemen’s clubs” — the 182-year-old Australian Club in Sydney’s CBD — is now even harder to get into, forced to close because of a coronavirus scare.
The high-powered male-only membership of ex-prime ministers, captains of industry, judges and bankers were told yesterday a staff member had tested positive and the Macquarie St club would be shut until Tuesday.
Known for its strict jacket-and-tie dress code and total ban on denim, the club was the venue for former PM John Howard’s 80th birthday last year. It confirmed yesterday that the infected staff member had worked on Monday from 6am to 9.30am.
“The Australian Club has decided to act with an abundance of caution and is closing the club until Tuesday, 4th August,” a spokeswoman said.
“Upon becoming aware that he had been at an eastern suburbs restaurant where another person had tested positive, he responsibly began self-isolation, absenting himself from the club and had himself tested for the virus.”
NSW recorded 21 new cases of coronavirus yesterday — the highest daily increase since April.
The new cases included six traced back to The Apollo restaurant in Potts Point, two to Thai Rock restaurant in Wetherill Park and three to Mounties Club in Mt Pritchard.
A confirmed case was also identified in Orange connected to a known Sydney cluster.
Harpoon Harry’s Hotel and Bar was also shut for cleaning after a patron who visited on Sunday night tested positive.
Cleaners decked out in protective suits, goggles and masks sanitised and sprayed the Surry Hills bar yesterday.
In nearby Darlinghurst, Darlo Bar was forced to close when a patron who also attended last Sunday tested positive.
“NSW Health have advised that this is a relatively low-risk case, however we took the decision to close the Darlo Bar immediately to undertake a deep clean in line with our own strict COVID safe protocols,” the venue said. It plans to reopen today.
Iconic Bondi institution Icebergs also underwent deep cleaning yesterday, including antimicrobial fogging — where disinfectant is sprayed across surfaces in hard-to-reach areas — in preparation for its reopening today.
Venues which have been deep cleaned are safe to enter after two to three hours.
AIRPORT SCRAMBLE IN RACE TO HEAD NORTH
The domestic terminal at Sydney Airport was yesterday packed with frantic Sydneysiders scrambling to get on a flight to Queensland before the border was set to close at 1am today.
The entire Greater Sydney region has been banned from entering the Sunshine State, after being declared a hotspot by Premier Anastasia Palaszczuk on Wednesday. And from 1am, any Queenslanders hoping to return home will be required to isolate in a hotel for two weeks at their own expense.
The midweek announcement left even NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian blind-sided, claiming she wasn't give prior notice of the plan.
It also left thousands of travellers in a bind, forcing many to bring their travel plans forward in order to get across the border.
At Sydney Airport yesterday, hundreds of people were lined up at the terminal to get to Queensland for one last holiday, to work or see family members.
Andrea Abel-van Es booked her family holiday, anticipating that the borders would close eventually.
“We had planned this vacation with the idea there was a likelihood the borders might shut, but we thought we’d book it anyway and see how we go,” Mrs Abel-van Es said.
Travelling with husband Rob and sons Nikalai and Jasper, Ms Abel-van Es said she wasn’t too concerned about flying during the pandemic.
“We are a very international family, we travel three or four months out of the year and the kids are very used to flying and we have masks for the plane but we’re not overly concerned,” Ms Abel-van Es said.
For some Sydneysiders who work across the northern border, yesterday was their last chance to return to Queensland.
Pub owner Nick Wills was travelling to Queensland with his wife Edwina.
“We’re heading there for business, since it’s the last day we could get in and might be the last time we can get up there for months,” Mr Wills said.
“I’ve made the trip three times in the last three weeks and I’ve seen maybe 40 per cent of people not wearing masks on the plane.”
And for others yesterday was their last hope to see family members for what could be months.
Melanie Street’s brother moved his Queensland wedding forward in anticipation of the border closing.
“We rebooked our flights for today so we’re flying up just before the border closure — he thought the borders would close that's why he moved the wedding,” Ms Street told the Saturday Telegraph from the terminal. “It’s just a whirlwind trip, we’re lucky we are just getting in and leaving.”
