Four residents tested for COVID-19 at Newmarch House aged care home
Four elderly residents of the Newmarch House aged care home — the site of one of the worst virus outbreaks — have been tested for COVID-19 after showing respiratory illness symptoms. This comes as Victoria recorded 108 new cases of coronavirus, forcing the government to lock down two more suburbs.
NSW
Don't miss out on the headlines from NSW. Followed categories will be added to My News.
Four residents from the Newmarch House aged care home have been tested for COVID-19 after they began to show flu-like symptoms.
One resident has returned a negative result earlier on Saturday but by 8.30pm, NSW Health confirmed the remaining three also tested negative.
The residents were isolated in their rooms at the facility in Kingswood near Penrith while they awaited the results.
The aged care home was the site of one of Australia’s worst outbreaks of COVID-19, which claimed the lives of 19 residents.
The latest COVID-19 scare comes three weeks after NSW Health declared the COVID-19 outbreak at Newmarch House was over.
Families were also contacted, an Anglicare spokesman said.
“Staff attending them are wearing full Personal Protective Equipment (PPE),” he said.
“All residents without flu-like symptoms are being encouraged to stay in their rooms and will be monitored for social distancing if they choose to leave their rooms.
“Staff are wearing masks and continuing to adhere to strict infection control protocols when attending all other residents.”
In the first wave at Newmarch House, 37 residents and 34 staff tested positive for coronavirus.
This comes as Victoria shut down two more suburbs after 108 new coronavirus cases were recorded overnight.
Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews announced two more postcodes were issued with a “stay at home order” due to the “unacceptably high number” of new cases.
There are now 12 suburbs in Victoria under lockdown and 69 cases are under investigation to determine how they were infected.
This comes as a man who rode a Sydney-bound train from Melbourne was detained at Central Station on Saturday after presenting with COVID-like symptoms.
The man, believed to be the only person on the train held back by authorities — which arrived at 7.30am — was taken by ambulance to an inner city hotel to isolate.
It is it not known if he had tested posted for COVID-19 or where he boarded the train in between the two states.
On Friday, another male train passenger is his 50s was forced into quarantine on Friday after arriving at Central Station from Melbourne.
Detected by NSW Health staff monitoring arrivals, he is now facing a possible $11,000 fine after travelling to Sydney from a COVID hot spot in Melbourne.
NSW today added 189 new cases of coronavirus to its overall tally months after they were first recorded off shore on the Ruby Princess.
The cases weren’t added to the state’s official tally at the time, despite the ship sitting in NSW waters. They’ve now been added to the state’s tally as historic cases.
Authorities have been ramping up patrols of interstate arrivals at transport hubs, as well as borders, to prevent Melbourne’s coronavirus crisis crossing the border.
NSW Health staff have been screening passengers arriving by XPT at Central Station from Melbourne since Thursday, and similar tests are being done at Sydney Airport.
Passengers have their temperatures taken and are quizzed on their health and travel.
People arriving from a Victorian COVID hotspot must self-isolate for 14 days.
More than 10,000 Victorians had also declined testing since the government’s suburban testing blitz began last week, Victoria’s Health Minister Jenny Mikakos has revealed.
She said there were still elements of the community who thought coronavirus was a “conspiracy”.
NSW cases continue to remain low, with zero new infections reported on Friday and six on Saturday.
Executive Director of Health Protection at NSW Health said of the six new cases in the past 24 hours, five were returned travellers in hotel quarantine.
Dr McAnulty said the sixth case was “a possible case” reported on Friday — an 18-year-old male student from Green Point Christian College on the Central Coast.
“However, results indicate this is a past infection and not an active case,” he said.
One previously reported case was also excluded following further investigation.
The figures are good news for the state after a Balmain Woolworths employee who had travelled from Melbourne after hotel quarantine tested positive earlier in the week.
A COVID-19 testing clinic at Rozelle was flooded with locals on Friday rushing to get tested, after 50 Woolworths staff were forced into self-isolation.
For passengers arriving on the XPT in Sydney this morning, the sight of police and health staff was a clear sign every precaution was being taken to prevent imported infections.
Charlotte Wallace, returning from Griffith, said it was always a concern that COVID might spread but “I think it’s more under control now than it was”.
“I didn’t expect all of this testing when I got off the train though. I’ve just come back from my farm work now I’m headed back to Sydney.”
Amelia Jules, 23, said she was surprised to see police presence at the station.
“It’s a bit intimidating coming off the train to get tested right away and all of this,” she said.
“But I am not too worried about it, the train ride went smoothly and now I’m just heading back to Bondi.
“I’m glad they are being thorough.”