Coronavirus NSW: Quarantine hotel worker tests positive to COVID

The state’s plan to relax restrictions from Monday will still going ahead despite a COVID case in a hotel quarantine worker.

NSW Health is racing to track down contacts of a hotel quarantine cleaner who contracted COVID-19, as the government anxiously awaits genomics data to confirm the source of the outbreak.

The southwest Sydney woman, who was a member of the housekeeping staff at the Novotel and Ibis hotels in Darling Harbour, tested positive on Wednesday night, prompting an urgent contact tracing operation and threatening a planned reopening of the West Australian border.

The unwelcome news ended a 26-day run of no community transmissions.

But plans to drop restrictions from Monday are still going ahead, although Premier Gladys Berejiklian has stressed it is an “evolving situation” that could change at any time.

“If in the next few days the health advice changes I will not hesitate to act as the Premier as the health and wellbeing of our citizens take priority,” she said.

Ms Berejiklian said the state’s hotel quarantine system was “robust”, but in ­welcoming 3000 returned overseas travellers every week as cases soared globally there remained a risk.

The Premier said she had expected there would be more cases even as she ­announced a major easing of restrictions earlier this week, and urged NSW people to be on high alert.

“This is a very serious situation but one we are managing,” she said.

The Ibis Hotel in Darling Harbour where the infected woman worked.

Five of the woman’s household contacts tested negative but have been told to quarantine for two weeks, while all staff who worked at the hotel complex at the time the confirmed case was infectious have been asked to seek a test and isolate until they get the result.

The woman also travelled on the train from Minto to Lidcombe and Central, and on the light rail from Central to Darling Harbour between November 27 and 30, with NSW Health urging others who travelled at specific times to get tested immediately and self-isolate until further advised by officials.

Chief health officer Kerry Chant said the source of the case was under investigation and urgent genome sequencing was under way.

“The laboratory is undertaking that as a matter of priority,” she said.

“We may have some preliminary information earlier than 48 hours but I’m advised we will have the full sequencing within 48 hours.”

Meanwhile, West Australian Premier Mark McGowan has not ruled out delaying the reopening of his state’s borders with NSW following the new case.

“We don’t have enough ­information at this point in time to make that decision but we expect to get more ­information over coming days,” he said.

COVID -19 testing continues around the country Picture: David. Crosling

Western Australia was scheduled to reopen to NSW and Victoria from December 8, meaning travellers would no longer be required to quarantine for 14 days.

Health Minister Brad Hazzard said he feared there had been a growing sense of complacency among the community.

“We’ll do the tracking and tracing … hopefully it’ll all be OK,” he said.

He urged every organisation to use a QR code check-in system to aid contact tracing from Monday.

COVID BLOW FOR NSW: HOTEL WORKER TESTS POSITIVE

A NSW quarantine hotel employee who worked at two Sydney hotels over four days has tested positive to coronavirus.

Health Minister Brad Hazzard confirmed the new infection this morning but said it was “too new to know” if it would be considered a community transmission case.

“We would have been saying today is 26 days without any cases, this particular lady went into hotels in Sydney,” he told Channel 7.

In a later interview on 2GB, Mr Hazzard said the woman worked at the Ibis on Friday November 27 before working at the Novotel, a quarantine hotel, on Saturday November 28th, Sunday November 29th and Monday November 30th.

“Anyone who worked at those hotels should get tested and self-isolate … we think she does domestic work in the hotels” he said.

“She’s from Minto. So if you’re from Minto in the southwest and you have symptoms, you should get test”.

“She travels from Minto to Central Station and then takes the light rail from Central to Darling Harbour.”

Mr Hazzard said he woke up Chief Health Officer Dr Kerry Chant this morning to discuss the new case with her.

The Ibis Hotel at Darling Harbour.

“We are working through the issues,” he said.

“NSW Health is obviously checking in with close contacts and we will investigate that further today and make some announcements later on this morning.

“I can say that the good news is her five family members were tested overnight and they are all negative, so that is a good outcome.”

The new case is likely to put WA’s border reopening at risk. NSW needed to go 28 days without a case for residents to enter the state from December 8.

TWELVE SYDNEY SUBURBS ON ALERT

Residents in Sydney‘s northwest have been put on high alert after traces of COVID-19 were found in sewage.

The state‘s sewage surveillance program detected traces of the virus collected on November 29 at a treatment plant in Riverstone, according to NSW Health.

Locals who live in the suburbs of Riverstone, Vineyard, Marsden Park, Shanes Park, Quakers Hill, Oakville, Box Hill, The Ponds, Rouse Hill, Nelson, Schofields and Colebee have been asked to watch for symptoms and get tested.

Residents in Sydney‘s northwest have been put on high alert after traces of COVID-19 were found in sewage. Picture: David. Crosling

NSW Health is calling on people in Sydney’s northwest to get tested if they have even the mildest COVID-19 symptoms, after the state’s sewage surveillance program detected traces of the virus at a sewage treatment plant in Riverstone.

A statement from NSW Health said public officials were “concerned” COVID-19 could still be active in the community.

“Detection of the virus in sewage samples could reflect the presence of known cases of COVID-19 diagnosed in recent weeks in the area served by this sewage treatment plant,” a NSW Health statement said.

NSW Health is calling on people in Sydney’s northwest to get tested if they have even the mildest COVID-19 symptoms. Picture: David. Crosling

“However, NSW Health is concerned there could be other active cases in the local community in people who have not been tested and who might incorrectly assume their symptoms are just a cold.”

Easing restrictions announced on Wednesday shouldn‘t encourage people to become complacent, NSW Health said.

“It is important that people in these areas be aware of any symptoms of illness, and immediately isolate and get tested should even the mildest of symptoms appear,” the statement said.

“Cold-like symptoms, including a runny nose or scratchy throat, cough, tiredness, fever or other symptoms could be COVID-19.”