Coronavirus NSW: One local case, Bambino’s Kindergarten warning

NSW Health issued a warning for people who attended a Lebanese restaurant in Sydney in the past week, who could have contracted the virus.

There are fears a COVID-19 cluster is growing in south west Sydney after a worker from a restaurant, which is accused of breaching its COVID Safety Plan, tested positive to the virus on Monday.

NSW Health issued a warning for people who had attended Jasmins1 Lebanese restaurant in Liverpool in the past week who could have contracted the virus.

The first reported case from the restaurant was a customer who dined there on October 25.

But the latest positive result in a worker has raised fears as they could have infected more diners and staff on Monday October 26 from 4pm to 9pm, Saturday October 31 from 3pm to 8pm and Sunday November 1 from 9am to 1.45pm.

It comes after Chief Health Officer Kerry Chant accused the restaurant of not keeping accurate customer records.

“Our priority now is to chase down everybody who was at that restaurant when that infectious person was there,” she said.

“There weren’t QR codes recorded (and) there weren’t individual sign-ins.

“We have received some data around the bookings … But you can imagine that’s only one person. So it does take time to get to everyone else.

“So we are undertaking regulatory activity, we are reviewing their COVID safety plan, we will take that action.”

A representative from the restaurant on Sunday said they co-operated with NSW Health as best as possible including by handing over a list of bookings after authorities first attended the venue.

The Premier repeated warnings that her government is considering making QR code sign-in measures compulsory if businesses don’t increase compliance.

“The experience Health is having at the moment in contact tracing certain people who attended certain restaurants is very difficult,” Ms Berejiklian said.

Premier Gladys Berejiklian on Monday. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Gaye Gerard

A new health warning has been issued for Bambino’s Kindergarten in Horningsea Park. Anyone who was at the venue on Thursday October 29 or Friday October 30 is considered a close contact and must get tested and go into isolation for two weeks since they were there.

Meanwhile, a decision on when NSW will open the border to Victoria could “potentially” come this week.

“We’re talking weeks, not months, in terms of when the Victorian border may come down,” Ms Berejiklian said.

One new locally acquired COVID case was officially recorded on Monday. The case – a child that attended the Flip Out Prestons Indoor Trampoline Park on October 25 – was first identified on Sunday.

There were six cases detected in returned travellers in hotel quarantine.

The cases were identified in 7,431 tests.

The restaurant worker will be included in tomorrow’s count.

THIRD ‘DOUGHNUT DAY’ FOR VICTORIA

Victoria has recorded another stunning milestone, recording zero new cases for the third day in a row.

The last time the state recorded three consecutive days with no new cases was between March 4 to 6.

Melbourne’s rolling 14-day average has dipped below two and stands at 1.9, with only one mystery case recorded in the city over the past fortnight.

Victoria now has 49 active cases, a drop of 12 overnight.

HOW FAMILIES CAN GET AROUND QLD BORDER BAN

Families separated by Queensland’s travel ban on Sydney can circumvent it by reuniting with loved ones in regional NSW without the need to quarantine.

A re-elected Annastacia Palaszczuk on Sunday boasted she had “stared down critics over” her decision to exempt Sydney from a reopening to NSW.

But with northern parts of the state including Byron Bay and Kingscliff already included in a travel bubble, many Sydneysiders have already made the most of regional travel to reunite with interstate relatives.

Download our app and stay up to date anywhere, anytime

A relaxed Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk says she has stared down her critics on the COVID bubble. Picture: NCA NewsWire/Tertius Pickard

Byron Bay has become a meeting point for relatives who live in Sydney and Queensland. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Steve Holland

This workaround will now also apply to all regional areas outside Sydney.

Ballina-Byron Airport manager Julie Stewart said there would be 61 flights arriving this week, more planes than pre-COVID.

“We’re becoming a reunion centre, where people fly in from Sydney and have parents or relatives come down from Queensland to meet in the middle,” she said.

She added Sydneysiders were working remotely in Byron for two weeks then going to Brisbane to avoid hotel quarantine.

COVID JAB TO PROVIDE FIVE-YEAR DEFENCE

The world’s most advanced coronavirus vaccine won’t provide “absolute” immunity, but will likely give “protection” from the deadly disease for about five years.

Health Minister Greg Hunt has revealed he spoke directly with head of the AstraZeneca/Oxford University vaccine program Professor Sarah Gilbert about the potency of the drug, which is in stage three trials.

“(Prof Gilbert) said it’s likely to be, but we can’t say definitively, a multi-year defence in the order of five years asa guide, and it’s likely to give significant protection,” Mr Hunt said.

“But we can’t say yet whether we’ll be an absolute protection.”

Health Minister Greg Hunt.

Mr Hunt said the precise efficacy of the Oxford University vaccine, which Australia has secured 33.8 million doses of, was “yet to be determined” through clinical trials.

“But the initial, and then the progressive results with immunity and T cells, antibodies are positive,” he said.

Mr Hunt said the promising vaccine meant Australia would see a “progressive capacity” to bring people from overseas, and for residents to travel overseas “more and more” as people are vaccinated.

“2021 is obviously the year of COVID vaccines in Australia,” he said.

Mr Hunt said the results from both the Oxford University and the University of Queensland, of which Australia has secured 51 million units, were both “more positive than expected”.

“All of that is I think heartening,” he said.

“We are now close to additional contracts and there are two further ones on the advice of the medical expert panel which have been pursued and, which I am confident will be completed within the coming weeks if not earlier,” he said.

The final roll out of the vaccines in Australia will be taken to National Cabinet by Prime Minister Scott Morrison in the coming weeks.

Mr Hunt said that would include the “formal early priorities” with health workers and the elderly expected to be first recipients of a vaccine.

“But what we want to do is give every Australian … who seeks to be vaccinated, that capacity, over the course of the coming 12 months,” Mr Hunt said.