‘Throw the book’ at Sydney removalists who spread virus into Victoria, health authorities say

Three Sydney removalists who spread Covid-19 into Victoria could be in serious trouble with health authorities after they withheld crucial information.

Three Sydney removalists who breached their permit conditions and spread the highly contagious Covid-19 Delta variant to Victoria will face consequences, health authorities say.

Victoria’s Covid-19 testing commander Jeroen Weimar on Wednesday revealed new details of the trio’s trip – more than 36 hours after the state’s public health team began interviewing them.

He said the men arrived in Melbourne on July 8, on a special workers permit for freight drivers to deliver furniture in the City of Hume and pick up another load in the City of Maribyrnong.

Families were at home at both locations and are now isolating.

CCTV footage and witness statements revealed the removalists were not wearing masks.

It prompted authorities to lockdown the Ariele Apartments in Maribyrnong as a result of one of the deliveries.

Four people inside the building have since tested positive, as well as the elderly parents of one resident.

Victoria’s Covid-19 testing commander Jeroen Weimar says the book will be thrown at three Sydney removalists. Picture: NCA NewsWire/Ian Currie

Mr Weimar said the drivers then breached several permit conditions, including the need to wear a face mask while in Victoria, appropriate record-keeping for contact tracing purposes and “effective self-isolation” where practicable when working and during stops.

It was also revealed the men had arrived in two trucks and had stopped at a petrol station and fast food outlet in Kalkallo, on Melbourne’s northern fringe, on July 8.

“Books will be thrown when it’s time, when it’s ready to throw them, and I’m exceptionally frustrated at the pace and transparency of information coming from the removalists’ exposure,” Mr Weimar said.

“That’s been a real matter of concern … [and] it is my concern that we haven’t had this quick and transparent exposure of all the information. That’s why we’re talking about Kalkallo now – 24 hours after we started talking about the first sites, which is a source of frustration to all of us.”

Ariele Apartments in Maribyrnong were locked down after removalists visited the site while infectious. Picture: NCA NewsWire/Nicki Connolly

The removalists, on their way to Adelaide on July 9, then stopped at a Ballan petrol station and fast food outlet to take a shower, and remained there for more than two hours – in direct breach of permit conditions, which allow people to take only brief stops where absolutely necessary.

CCTV footage revealed the men were still not wearing masks.

“We’ve got access to as much data as we’re going to get,” Mr Weimar said.

“Many operators have various other recording systems on their vehicles … it would appear the vehicles concerned, when we finally got more information from the operator, don’t have those recording systems.”

Penalties for people caught flouting COVID-19 restrictions include $1652 fines for breaching public health guidelines and fines of $4957 for those who fail to self-isolate or enter the state from a red zone without an exemption.

Those who provide misleading information on permit or exemption applications can also face fines of $1652.

Originally published as ‘Throw the book’ at Sydney removalists who spread virus into Victoria, health authorities say