Perth lockdown: Isla Fisher and family flee back to Sydney

Hollywood star Isla Fisher was among thousands of Sydneysiders forced to abandon holidays and make a desperate dash home.

As thousands of Sydneysiders were forced to abandon holidays, make a desperate dash home and go into self-isolation thanks to Western Australia’s snap lockdown, NSW Health fears there are undetected cases of COVID-19 here.

However, unlike WA, it is refusing to hit the panic button.

Isla Fisher, Sacha Baron Cohen and their children leave Perth Airport. Picture: BACKGRID

Virus fragments have been found in sewage testing at Allambie Heights and Merimbula.

The Allambie Heights sewage network serves about 83,400 people living in suburbs including Balgowlah, Curl Curl, Narrabeen, Brookvale and Frenchs Forest.

The Merimbula sewage treatment plant serves about 15,000 people on the south coast.

“These positive sewage results may indicate the presence of people who have recently recovered from COVID-19 as they can shed fragments of the virus for several weeks after recovery,” a NSW Health statement said.

“However, NSW Health is concerned they could signal undetected cases in the community and asks people in these areas to be alert for any symptoms that could signal COVID, including a sore throat, runny nose, cough, fever or headache.”

Another COVID warning was issued on Sunday morning for Newcastle and surrounding suburbs after virus fragments were detected at the Burwood Beach Sewage Treatment plant from an April 21 sample.

The sewage catchment covers about 225,000 people in Newcastle City and surrounding suburbs.

NSW Health workers screen passengers arriving at Sydney Airport from Perth on Saturday. Picture: NCA NewsWire/Bianca De Marchi

NSW Health has teams at Sydney Airport to meet flights arriving from Perth after WA Health announced a number of new close and casual contact venues visited by positive cases.

The teams were confirming passengers had not attended a venue of concern.

“If you have attended a close contact venue as listed on the WA Health website, you should not enter NSW,” NSW Health stated.

All others were told to self-isolate, monitor for symptoms and get tested.

Isla Fisher and her husband Sacha Baron Cohen were among those forced to rush back.

The couple, who had spent the past fortnight visiting Fisher’s family, ­arrived back in Sydney late on Friday after boarding an afternoon commercial flight out of Perth before the lockdown came into effect.

Fisher recently told Stellar magazine: “I just feel so safe, I suppose the word is cosy, when I’m in Australia. It’s where I grew up.”

WA recorded two new cases of community spread on the first day of its long weekend lockdown, bringing its total to seven cases: a couple from India who were in hotel quarantine, a mother and child in hotel quarantine, a 51-year-old man in hotel quarantine, a friend of the 51-year-old, and the person who dined at the same restaurant as the 51-year-old.

WA Premier Mark McGowan is unhappy with the current hotel quarantine scheme. Picture: Matt Jelonek/Getty Images

WA Premier Mark McGowan was quick to blame the federal government for his state’s predicament.

“CBD hotels are not fit-for-purpose quarantine facilities and quarantine is the responsibility of the Commonwealth government under the Constitution,” Mr McGowan said.

In Sydney, investigations are continuing into how COVID-19 transmission occurred between returned travellers who entered Australia on April 3 on the same flight and stayed in adjacent rooms while in hotel quarantine at the Mercure Hotel on ­George Street in Sydney’s CBD.

No further instances of COVID-19 transmission have been detected.

NSW health authorities confirmed yesterday that 15 Port Botany workers had tested negative after they boarded a ship later found to have a number of positive COVID-19 cases on board.

No crew from the Inge Kosan left the ship during its time in Sydney.