COVID-19 latest: Machiavelli, Australian Club shut over coronavirus fears
An Italian dining mainstay in Sydney’s CBD has pulled shut its roller door after being informed a guest who has since tested positive to COVID-19 after visiting Potts Point, dined at the restaurant this week. LATEST DETAILS
NSW
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- COVID heat map shows virus returns to northern beaches
- Coronavirus fears close three more Sydney venues
Sydney CBD institution Machiavelli closed suddenly on Thursday night, after the famous roller door of the Italian dining mainstay was pulled shut.
So abrupt was the closure that some diners arrived for dinner bookings only to be sent elsewhere.
While not officially flagged with a COVID-19 alert, owner Nicolae Bicher confirmed to Sydney Confidential that he made the decision to close the restaurant and undertake a “clean-up” after it was revealed a patron who had dined at The Apollo in Potts Point late last week had also dined at his Clarence St restaurant for lunch on Monday.
“My neighbour, who is a jeweller, brought some guests here for lunch on Monday and later he comes and tells me that they had also dined at The Apollo in Potts Point and had since tested positive for (COVID),” says Bicher, who just resumed trading following a previous six-week shutdown.
“It was very hard but what can you do? We had to close everything down and clean everything up again. All of my staff had to be tested.
“It was extremely difficult but, amazingly, no one tested positive.
“Even the waitstaff who waited on the infected people were okay. And my neighbour who dined with them, who was exposed to them for four or five hours, even he is okay.
“So it’s difficult to understand sometimes but we had to do the right thing.”
Machiavelli will reopen on Monday, Bicher said.
THE AUSTRALIAN CLUB SHUTS, NEW CASE IN ORANGE
A gentlemen’s club visited by former prime ministers, cricketers and prominent businessmen in Sydney’s CBD has closed for cleaning after a staff member tested positive for COVID-19.
The Australian Club – where membership is given by invitation only – issued a statement on Friday confirming it will close until Tuesday.
“The Australian Club has decided to act with an abundance of caution and is closing the Club until Tuesday 4th August 2020,” a spokeswoman said.
“The decision was taken after a staff member tested positive to COVID-19. The staff member was at the Club on Monday 27th of July between 6am and 9.30am.
“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.
“We have commenced a deep cleanse and sanitisation of the entirety of the Club in line with our own strict COVID safe protocols and in accordance with Department of Health guidelines.”
The Australian Club was founded in 1838 and is the oldest gentlemen’s club in the southern hemisphere.
Meanwhile, the virus has spread to the state’s central west following a confirmed case in Orange.
The Western NSW Local Health District said the infected person linked to a known cluster in Sydney and was diagnosed on their return to the area.
“The case is currently in isolation in the Orange Local Government Area, but has a residential address outside of the Health District,” a statement said.
“There is no need for concern in the Orange community … The Public Health Unit has contacted all close contacts.”
EIGHT DEATHS, 627 CASES IN VICTORIA
Victoria has recorded eight new deaths and 627 new cases of coronavirus, bringing the state’s death toll to 112. During the same period, NSW reported 21 new cases.
The new deaths include two men in their 50s, two men in their 70s, three men in their 80s and one woman in her 70s.
Four of these cases have been linked to aged care centres. It follows Thursday’s record 723 new cases and 13 deaths.
Victorian Premier Dan Andrews said a shocking one in four residents infected with COVID-19 are failing to stay home, sparking a major crackdown.
130 people awaiting test results for the deadly disease were on Thursday found not to be self-isolating at home during checks by the ADF, Mr Andrews said.
All of these people have been referred to Victoria Police.
“It is simply unacceptable for you to have this virus and not be at home.’
Mr Andrews also foreshadowed rolling out tough new restrictions after crisis meetings with Prime Minister Scott Morrison last night.
He said the government was watching the numbers closely and looking at introducing new lockdown measures at hot spots like supermarkets and aged care centres.
“As soon as we’ve made decisions and our advice is finalised to me we’ll be before you again to explain each and every step,” he said.
“We have numbers that are too high, we have community transmission that’s too high and we will potentially take further steps beyond the current framework.”
TWENTY-ONE NEW CASES IN NSW
Six of the new NSW cases were associated with the Apollo restaurant outbreak.
Two of the new cases are connected to the funeral gatherings cluster, and three are associated with the Our Lady of Lebanon church.
Two more cases have been linked to the Thai Rock restaurant in Wetherill Park, and two cases have been identified in the Mounties club at Mt Pritchard.
As new cases have been confirmed from Mounties, NSW Health is now asking anyone who attended the venue to get tested and isolate immediately if they were they last Wednesday from 7pm to midnight, from midnight to 3am and 8:30pm to midnight last Thursday, from midnight to 3am and 7pm to midnight last Friday and from midnight to 3am last Saturday.
There has also been a case from Victoria, as well as two in hotel quarantine and three under investigation.
NSW Health has allowed the Everlearn childcare centre in Prestons to reopen, after a suspected case came back negative.
NEW QLD CASE LINKED TO CHARGED TEENAGER
Queensland’s newest case of COVID-19 has been directly linked to one of the teenagers that allegedly flouted the state’s border controls and triggered Queensland’s first community infection in months.
Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk on Friday confirmed the Sunshine State had detected one new case of the disease in a relative of someone who attended a Korean restaurant at the same time as one of the women who lied to authorities about their travel from Victoria.
The 27-year-old Brisbane man is related to someone who dined at the Madtongsan restaurant in Sunnybank on July 23 at the same time as either Olivia Winnie Muranga or Diana Lasu.
Chief Health Officer Dr Jeannette Young said authorities are “fairly comfortable” that one of the girls was the original source of the infection.
Both women were this week charged with fraud and breaching public health orders by allegedly providing false information to authorities.
THAI ROCK LINKS CONFIRMED
Health authorities have confirmed a link between the COVID-19 strain at two Thai Rock restaurants in Sydney.
NSW chief health officer Dr Kerry Chant told 2GB’s Ben Fordham health authorities have connected the two cases, but did not reveal whether this was through lab testing or contact tracing.
“We believe there is a link between Thai Rock Wetherill and Potts Point but we are awaiting further links to the Apollo,” she said.
Dr Chant said lab tests confirm that all of the strains currently circulating in NSW originated in Victoria.
“The cases to date have all been linked back to strains circulating in Victoria. We believe they’ve been introductions from Victoria.”
Meanwhile, a trendy inner city bar is the latest venue to shut its doors after a visitor tested positive to COVID-19.
The Darlo Bar in Darlinghurst will be closed for deep cleaning on Friday after the infectious person visited between midday and 2pm last Sunday.
It comes after Harpoon Harry in nearby Surry Hills shut after a confirmed case spent most of the day at the inner city hotel last Sunday.
“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 Darlo Bar said in a statement.
Darlo Bar will reopen tomorrow.
AD CAMPAIGN TO SHAME WOULD-BE SPREADERS
A fresh anti-COVID ad campaign that will focus on how a single individual can be responsible for sending the state back into lockdown is under examination by the state government.
The new focus on “individual responsibility” has been advised by the state government’s behavioural insights unit — a team of psychological experts who consult on how NSW can influence behaviour of citizens.
It is understood the team told Customer Service Minister Victor Dominello that advertising messages along the lines of “don’t YOU be the one who forces us back into lockdown” could be powerful.
The team is also closely considering new ad campaigns targeting the behaviour of younger people.
The plans were under way before the recent Queensland case of two teenagers who allegedly lied about their activity before testing positive for the virus and forcing a new border lockdown.
However the public attention given to the case may even have a similar impact, instilling a new fear of being exposed as being responsible for spreading the virus.
Behavioural experts have told the government to also promote “loss aversion” in the campaign as a means to drive compliance with the rules.
This may include individuals reflecting on the consequences or loss that may result from their behaviour, such as lockdown, not being able to go to the gym or to work.
The state government has already invested significantly in a COVID-19 ad campaign that has been in the market since April 6, and translated into 10 languages, with a separate Indigenous campaign entitled “protect your mob”.
TEN VENUES FINED $70,000 FOR SAFETY BREACHES
Liquor and Gaming have handed out a combined $70,000 in fines to venues for breaches last weekend.
Ten venues were fined on Thursday for those breaches to go along with a further four stung by Liquor and Gaming NSW this week.
Most of the fines were for not having a COVID-19 Safety Plan, non-compliant record-keeping and people not social distancing.
Liquor and Gaming Executive Director of Compliance Peter Dunphy said venues needed to be aware about more restrictions being placed on them.
“It beggars belief that anyone would want to eat, drink and mingle, shoulder to shoulder with others during a pandemic,” Mr Dunphy said.
“On Friday the mandatory COVID safety measures were expanded from pubs to cover all hospitality venues and that message was communicated loud and clear.
“Pubs, clubs, bars, casinos, cafes and restaurants are high risk for COVID transmission. They are subject to public health order conditions specifically designed to keep them open and keep our communities safe.
“It is public knowledge that COVID clusters have spread rapidly at restaurants and jumped from suburb to suburb. The measures have not been taken in vain – they are vital protections for workers and customers.
“We all need to play it safer – businesses as well as customers.”
The 10 venues fined for breaches last weekend were: Mapo Galbi Korean and Yai Thai both at Gosford, Thai Thyme and Hero Sushi at Erina, Heart 2 Heart at Merrylands, Master Hot Pot at Auburn, Tamworth Service Club at Tamworth, Greyhound Social Club at Yagoona, Hurlstone Park Hotel at Hurlstone Park and Kingswood Hotel at Kingswood.
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