Coronavirus NSW: Girraween Ruby Princess passengers tested positive to COVID-19 failed to self isolate
Two reckless groups who failed to self-isolate after disembarking from the infected Ruby Princess ship could have contributed to turning their western Sydney community into a COVID-19 hotspot.
Parramatta
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Two groups of Girraween residents who tested positive to coronavirus failed to follow self isolation rules after disembarking from the ill-fated Ruby Princess ship and could be responsible for transmitting COVID-19 in the community.
Cumberland councillor Suman Saha said residents had alerted him to the problem after witnessing their neighbours flout social distancing rules after they returned from a trip aboard the cruiseliner on March 19.
He said the witnesses told him the infected people left their homes frequently instead of adhering to two weeks in quarantine and had shopped at Woolworths Wentworthville and Coles at Westmead, possibly spreading the virus while at the supermarkets.
The passengers included a couple in their 40s and a family with two parents in their 40s and two children. It is understood just the adults tested positive to COVID-19.
Cr Saha, who represents the Wentworthville ward, cited their failure to self isolate for spreading the disease and making the 2145 postcode a COVID-19 hotspot.
“I don’t think they have taken it seriously and probably thought they were not infected,’’ he said.
On April 1, there were 26 confirmed cases across the 2145 postcode that takes in Greystanes, Wentworthville, Girraween, Westmead, Pendle Hill, South Wentworthville, Pemulwuy, Constitution Hill and Mays Hill.
Today, 40 cases have been confirmed in the postcode. By comparison, five were recorded in 2142 (Granville, Rosehill, Holroyd, South Granville, Clyde and Camellia) and four in 2160 (Merrylands and Merrylands West).
The Cumberland council area has 66 cases and the Parramatta local government area has 44.
Last month, Cumberland Council was forced to shut Pemulwuy Children’s Centre after a mother whose child attends the facility tested positive to COVID-19. She visited the centre twice over two weeks.
Girraween, Wentworthville and Westmead fall into the Cumberland council area which NSW Health has identified as having a high risk of local transmission.
This area has also been identified as one for more testing and surveillance.
Across NSW, 29 people were diagnosed with COVID-19 since April 15 and there are 2926 cases across the state.
READ MORE: Where to get tested in western Sydney
This included an increase of testing — 4988 — since April 15 at 8pm following calls for more people to be tested even if they have mild symptoms.
The ship — which has been linked to 800 coronavirus cases and 19 deaths — is the subject of a NSW Police criminal investigation to establish why passengers were allowed to leave the ship from Sydney Harbour and go directly home on March 19.
The government later enforced quarantine measures that required travellers to quarantine in hotels for 14 days once arriving in Sydney before heading home.