Qld declares Waverley LGA a hot spot; one new NSW Covid case

Shoppers and diners at Bondi Junction have had their weekend plans thrown into turmoil, with a raft of shops inside the local Westfields visited by a positive COVID case.

Shoppers and diners at Bondi Junction have had their weekend plans thrown into turmoil, with a raft of shops inside the local Westfields visited by a positive COVID case.

Myer, Woolworths, Aldi, Mitre 10 and Daiso are among venues at Westfield Bondi Junction who were visited last weekend by an infectious person, according to NSW Health.

New venue alerts issued at 8.30pm on Friday require people at Westfield Bondi Junction or the shopping centre car park on June 12 between 11am-12pm and June 13 from 1-2pm and 4-4.30pm have been asked to get a COVID test but only to isolate if they have symptoms.

But anyone who was at the Tea Gardens Hotel gaming room at Bondi Junction is a close contact and must isolate for 14 days regardless of their result.

Venue alerts earlier in the day require people who visited other Westfield venues - including Level 2 and 4 of Myer - to immedately get tested, call NSW Health and isolate for 14 days.

Qld shuts border to NSW hot spot; mask rules return

Queensland’s chief medical officer has declared Sydney’s local government area of Waverley, which includes Bondi Beach, a hot spot following another positive case on Friday.

Any Queensland residents, or NSW residents, entering the state after 1am on Saturday, who have been in the Waverley LGA area, will have to quarantine for two weeks in a hotel, Dr Jeanette Young said.

“Prior to 1am it is only the venues, after 1am it will be anywhere in Waverley,” Dr Young said.

NSW recorded one new local Covid case, which is linked to the eastern suburbs cluster.

The man in his 50s from Bondi acquired the virus after “fleeting” contact with a positive case at Myer in Bondi Junction, Premier Gladys Berejiklian said on Friday.

NSW Health this afternoon declared anyone who attended Myer Bondi Junction, Level 2 and Level 4 on Saturday, June 12, from 11.15am to 11.50pm to be a close contact who must immeditely call NSW Health on 1800 943 553, get tested and self isolate for 14 days.
Level 2 includes women’s sleepwear, shoes, lingerie, handbags, accessories, watches and cosmetics. Level 4 includes homewares, toys and kidswear.

Anyone who attended during these times but did not go to Level 2 or 4 is not a contact.

Gladys Berejiklian on Friday. Picture: NCA NewsWire / David Swift

“We can see from CCTV cameras that it could have been a very fleeting contact between the infectious person and this gentleman in Bondi Junction.”

The new Bondi Junction case shopped at Myer at the same time as a limousine driver who tested positive on Wednesday.

Household contacts of the new case have not tested positive but they will still be required to isolate for 14 days.

NSW Chief Health Officer Dr Kerry Chant said the new case had an onset of symptoms of June 15 and is considered infectious from June 13.

“While infectious, this latest case visited venues in Redfern, Newtown, Bondi Junction and Campbelltown and travelled on the train from Newtown to Bondi Junction on June 13 and from Bondi Junction to candle town and return on June 15.”

VICTORIAN COUPLE FINED AFTER NSW ROAD TRIP

A couple who dodged Victoria’s lockdown and drove through regional NSW to Queensland has been fined by police.

Both the man, 48, and woman, 44, were fined $4003 each for providing false information on their Queensland border declaration.

The couple tested positive after arriving in Queensland on June 5, causing a covid scare in the regional NSW towns they visited on their illegal roadtrip.

Cafes, stores and pubs in Dubbo, Moree, Coonabarabran and Forbes were forced to shut, locals forced to isolate and long weekend plans cancelled after the couple’s visit.

“Police will allege the duo travelled into Queensland on June 5, via Goondiwindi after having been in Victoria and deliberately provided false information to obtain a Queensland Border Declaration Pass ‘G’ pass,” a QLD Police spokewoman said.

The couple have been in hospital since testing positive last week, and were released by QLD Health on Friday.

MANDATORY MASKS ON PUBLIC TRANSPORT

Masks will now be compulsory on public transport for Greater Sydney, not including Wollongong and the Central Coast.

The new restrictions will begin from 4pm on Friday for five days.

The Premier has also recommended people wear masks in indoor venues in Greater Sydney, especially in the eastern suburbs however this is not compulsory.

“If you are planning on going to an organised event, those events should proceed,” Ms Berejiklian said.

“Our intention is what we have announced today will get us through the next few days unless there are unexpected things that come up.”

“If the situation changes of course we will have to come back and ask the community to do more,” the Premier said.

NEW COVID STRAIN ‘HIGHLY INFECTIOUS’

Dr Chant said it appears the new Delta strain of Covid-19 is more infectious.

“The genomics sequencing from the case reported yesterday, the patron of the Belle Cafe at Vaucluse, is an exact match to the initial case,” she said.

“This indicates the initial case was highly infectious, as transmission must have occurred through fleeting exposure. Obviously, we cannot rule out that there was some crossover when ordering things but we are highlighting that we have observed these transmissions where we would normally see a lower risk.”

“The main point we’re trying to say is we know the Delta strain, that is the strain we are dealing with, is more transmissible. And therefore it is important that we take these extra precautions of upgrading venues when we see transmission,” she said.

There has been no spread of the virus from today’s reported case with Dr Chant confirming all of the man’s household contacts returned negative results

The case recorded yesterday in the Hills district has not been cleared as a false positive as health authorities expected, and in an abundance of caution NSW Health will be contacting his casual contacts.

ACT ON ALERT OVER SYDNEY CASE

The ACT is on alert after a Sydney case of Covid-19 was found to have visited venues in Canberra.

A Baulkham Hills man, 40, who tested positive but has a “low viral load” visited art exhibitions in the nation’s capital.

He spent almost two hours at the National Gallery of Australia visiting the Botticelli and van Gogh exhibitions as well as the gift shop on Monday between midday and 1.45pm.

An hour later he attended Via Dolce Pasticceria in Canberra’s CBD where he stayed from 2.45pm until 3.15pm.

The National Gallery of Australia in Canberra. Picture: Lukas Coch

“In addition, if you were at the National Gallery of Australia, including the main gift shop, from 12-2pm on Monday 14 June, you must be vigilant for even the mildest of Covid-19 symptoms, immediately get tested and isolate until a negative test is received,” ACT Health warned.

NSW Health scientists are analysing the man’s wellbeing and there is belief that he may be a false-positive case.

There is no evidence so far that the case is connected to the Bondi cluster.

Bondi residents queuing for a Covid test. Picture: Tim Pascoe

POLICE PROBE INTO LIMO DRIVER’S INFECTION

The source of Sydney’s latest Covid-19 outbreak is in the hands of police investigators after it was confirmed a limousine driver who contracted the virus did not comply with health orders.

The Bondi man, aged in his 60s, who transports inter­national aircrew, has the more contagious Delta strain of the coronavirus, which circulated in Melbourne’s outbreak, but his sequence does not match any from Victoria.

He was required to do saliva tests every day he worked but NSW Health said he only did his first test on Tuesday.

He was not vaccinated, despite being eligible, and police are also investigating whether he was even wearing a mask while transporting inter­national aircrew in Sydney.

“This strain does not match anything that’s been uploaded in Australia at this time, but it does match a ­sequence that’s been uploaded from the US,” NSW chief health officer Dr Kerry Chant said.

“The obvious hypothesis is he has transported a flight crew who has subsequently been testing positive.

“We need to check and double check.”

Three more cases of the virus have now been detected in NSW, including the limousine driver’s wife and a case of community transmission with a woman in her 70s who visited the Belle cafe in Vaucluse at the same time as the driver.

Events Cinema Bondi Junction.

David Jones Food Hall in Bondi Junction, which has been exposed to a Covid-19 case,

NSW Health Minister Brad Hazzard delivered a stern warning to airline drivers to comply with orders ­including wearing appropriate PPE and conducting daily saliva tests.

“What I will remind all drivers who pick people up from the airport more broadly is that you have obligations,” Mr Hazzard said.

“Your obligations are legal and they are to get saliva-tested every day and to make sure you wear appropriate PPE. If you don’t do that, you’re breaching the orders and the police will investigate you.”

The information has exposed a gaping hole in the NSW quarantine system with Premier Gladys Berejiklian saying she could not account for the vaccination of subcontractors or new staff.

“All workers and drivers within the quarantine system have strict obligations which are covered in our health ­orders,” Ms Berejiklian said.

“People who are employed directly by police or NSW Health have all been vaccinated, but we also have to ­appreciate there are new ­people coming in every day to the system.”