Rolling coverage: Vic wastewater virus alert; Byron Bay Bluesfest cancelled

Virus fragments have been detected in Melbourne’s west, while a famous Byron Bay music festival has been cancelled over fears it could become a COVID-19 superspreader event.

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The hugely popular Bluesfest that was set to feature Jimmy Barnes and Pete Murray at Byron Bay has been cancelled by NSW Health Minister Brad Hazzard amid fears it could become a COVID-19 superspreader event.

The picturesque coastal town in northern NSW is on high alert with a new list of venues visited by a man infected with the virus.

The man, aged in his 20s, attended the Byron Beach Hotel where positive cases from Queensland were recorded.

He sat close to the Queensland travellers who were infectious at the time, but his three friends have returned negative results.

Bluesfest was set to begin at Tyagarah Tea Tree Farm on Thursday but was cancelled on Wednesday.

The internationally acclaimed blues and roots music festival typically hosts between 6000 and 15,000 people a day and was cancelled last year due to COVID-19. This year’s was to be the 32nd.

- Evin Priest and Rebecca Le May

Bluesfest crowds in 2018.

OUTBREAK SPREADS TO NSW

Queensland’s COVID outbreak has spread to NSW with one new local case recorded overnight.

A NSW man in his 20s tested positive for COVID after sitting close to an infected hen’s party from Queensland at a popular Byron pub.

As a result Premier Gladys Berejiklian announced restrictions for Byron, Ballina, Tweed and Lismore.

His three friends have returned negative tests, however health officials have issued new venue alerts after the man visited several locations not knowing he was infectious:

• Ballina: The Henry Rous Tavern on Sunday March 28 between 1.20-2.20pm.

• Ballina: Golf and Sports Club Pro shop on Sunday March 28 between 2.25 and 2.35pm

The following venue alerts were also issued this morning:

Meanwhile, Brisbane is set for an anxious wait, after the Queensland capital recorded two new cases of local transmission overnight, including a nurse who received the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine.

Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk described the number as an encouraging result, saying that a decision on whether the Greater Brisbane lockdown would be extended would be announced at 9am on Thursday.

Two key factors would influence the decision — the number of people tested and no unlinked community transfer.

Authorities are racing to control two growing clusters which have now reached as far as Gladstone and the Gold Coast.

It comes as Victoria recorded no new cases overnight, with more than 22,000 test results received on Tuesday.

There is one active case — a flight crew member who tested positive on Sunday after acquiring the virus overseas.

A total of 20 primary close contacts have now been identified in Victoria, linked to Tier 1 exposure sites in Queensland and NSW.

Sixteen have returned a negative coronavirus test result with the remainder of results pending.

All are in quarantine for 14 days following their exposure.

The federal government declared Greater Brisbane a hot spot on Tuesday and Victoria is likely to keep the border to Greater Brisbane closed even after the city’s snap lockdown ends.

Victorian Acting Premier James Merlino said it would take some time for the border to reopen after the lockdown lifted, and would depend on a series of reviews.

He would not rule out insisting Queensland has no new community cases for a specified period — a condition imposed on Victoria before other states lifted their restrictions.

“I know this is a difficult time in the year and, you know, family and friends want to connect across our country,” he said. “The advice from our chief health officer and my advice to Victorians is to discourage any movement, any travel to Queensland.”

NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian. Picture: Damian Shaw

VIRUS IN WESTERN SUBURBS WASTEWATER

Coronavirus fragments have been detected in wastewater in Melbourne’s west on Monday March 29.

Anyone with COVID-19 symptoms, no matter how mild, is urged to get tested, especially if they live in or have visited these areas during these dates:

• Hoppers Crossing, Tarneit, Truganina and Werribee between March 22 and 29;

• Beaconsfield, Berwick, Clyde North, Cranbourne East, Cranbourne North, Guys Hill, Hallam, Hampton Park, Harkaway, Narre Warren, Narre Warren North, Narre Warren South, Officer and Upper Beaconsfield between March 21 and 25.

BRISBANE TRAVELLERS TO BE ‘REPATRIATED’

Brisbane travellers caught up in border confusion and forced into hotel quarantine in Melbourne will be “repatriated” to Queensland “as soon as possible”.

Travellers on a flight that left Brisbane before Victoria deemed the city a red zone at 6pm on Monday were forced into quarantine.

It came despite some travellers having been assured by Victorian health officials that they were OK to travel — and would only be required to isolate until they got a test, rather than for 14 days — because they had taken off before Brisbane was deemed red.

Some travellers were this morning been moved to the Holiday Inn at Melbourne Airport, which has reopened as a quarantine hotel after being the site of Victoria’s last outbreak.

Andrews Government Minister Danny Pearson was this morning quizzed on the conflicting advice to the Brisbane travellers and why they had been forced into hotel quarantine.

“I do understand, that this has impacted a small number of travellers who, as I understand it, were in the air at the time those directions were made,” he said.

“The government has a clear responsibility to keep Victorians safe.

“In relation ... to those people who were put into hotel quarantine, we are looking to make sure they can be repatriated to Brisbane as soon as possible.”

Sam, a Brisbane traveller who found himself in hotel quarantine after the border rules changed mid-flight, has now been freed along with dozens of others.

His ecstatic partner Harriet told the Herald Sun after the media attention today he was let go from hotel quarantine.

“He was informed by CQV at 12:12 pm today that he would be realised into home quarantine for 14 days,” she said.

“At 1:30 pm he was advised that he would be discharged with no quarantine order at all.”

Many travellers said they received conflicting advice on Victoria’s sudden border closures. Picture: Ian Currie

Harriet said her Brisbane-based partner never would have flown home for the Easter holidays if the Health Department hadn’t confirmed to him “multiple times” that his flight, which left Brisbane at 5.50pm, was safe to catch.

“He has spoken with multiple people via the DHHS Covid Hotline, and all have confirmed that the advice provided to every passenger on QF 635 by the DHHS on March 29 was that as the plane departed Brisbane while it was designated an orange zone, they would be treated as arriving from an orange zone,” Harriet said.

“Qantas staff confirmed to all passengers that this was DHHS advice prior to take off.

“No passenger would have taken the flight otherwise.”

But at 6pm, shortly after the plane departed, Victoria slammed its border shut to Greater Brisbane arrivals, with Victorians required to complete two weeks’ quarantine at home and Greater Brisbane residents taken to hotel quarantine.

“I just think this is completely outrageous the fact that this has happened to Australian citizens,” Harriet said.

She said he was kept at Melbourne Airport for several hours with no access to food or water prior to being taken to the Park Royal and left in the dark.

“The issue is they haven’t even been told (the length of their stay),” she told the Herald Sun this morning.

“Obviously not being able to obtain any information is very distressing.

“My major issue is that him and every other passenger relied upon the same advice and travelled on that basis.

“He made an educated choice as did every other passenger based on the advice given.

She said the situation was unjust with her partner unsure if he would be able to request to return to Queensland for work or would need to ask for extra leave.

“The only way to obtain information is through the Department of Health’s COVID hotline,” she said.

“If you can’t rely on that information, what hope does any Victorian have moving forward?”

The Health Department and COVID-19 Quarantine Victoria have been contacted for comment.

BRISBANE ARRIVALS SLAM AIRPORT ‘SHAMBLES’

Authorised officers greeting Brisbane travellers seemed unsure on some of the finer details, a Melbourne family said.

The travellers exited their flight from Brisbane, which has been declared a red zone, and were greeted by Authorised Officers wearing full PPE.

The two parents, who were travelling with their young children, said scene was “chaotic”.

“It’s clear what we need to do (isolate) based on the latest information on the Vic Health website,” one parent, who did not want to be named, said.

“These guys had a habit to confer among themselves about testing strategies, how soon (we should get tested).

“It matches what we heard from returned visitors that it’s a bit of shambles among these guys.

“I do understand that they’re under a lot of pressure and there’s a lot of people.”

The Herald Sun observed multiple staff members talking to the family before one worker told his colleagues that advice should only come from one person.

The family, was eventually able to leave and made their way through the terminal, heading home to begin their 14 day home quarantine.

Brisbane’s latest cluster is still growing.

The family, who travelled to Brisbane for a wedding back when the situation “looked good”, didn’t complain about the sudden quarantine and said “we took the risk”.

But the man said they were “lucky” as he had some leave left at work, an option not available to everyone.

Others seemed to have an easier time and told the Herald Sun they didn’t have any complaints with the system and had been instructed to quarantine when they get home.

They were spoken to by authorised officers wearing face masks, a face shield and PPE gown in a seating area next to the gate.

Two other officers, who were not in full PPE and just wore masks, stood around the seating area to prevent any other travellers from sitting there.

However after the officers had spoken to the handful of Brisbane travellers and packed up their belongings, they left and the seating area was again open to regular travellers.

The Herald Sun did not witness any immediate deep cleaning of the area where travellers from a red zone, including young children and an infant, had been sitting.

Mr Merlino on Tuesday said he was confident authorities had been able to track any Victorians recently in Brisbane and defended the state’s permit system, despite reports from travellers it was “broken”.

One recent arrival from Brisbane said they had been home for more than a week and had heard nothing from health authorities.

“I got tested because I saw the news,” he said. “The permit system is broken. It is entirely voluntary and not enforced at the time of booking a flight, during a flight or upon arrival at Melbourne Airport.”

But Mr Merlino said that was incorrect.

“We’ve had public health teams at the airport, making sure that when travellers come off the flight from Brisbane that they’re engaged, we go through the permit process,” he said.

CONFUSION AS VICTORIANS FORCED INTO HOTEL QUARANTINE

Some Victorians who returned to Melbourne on Monday night were left furious after they were ordered to quarantine for 14 days, despite receiving conflicting advice from authorities.

Emily, who boarded a flight from Brisbane at 5pm, an hour before it was declared a red zone, said she was assured by the Department of Health the requirement to quarantine would not apply.

She said after landing in Melbourne she was told that was wrong.

Meanwhile, several passengers who have just flown into Melbourne Airport from Sydney have told the Herald Sun their travel permit wasn’t checked.

Sydney has been designated a green zone under Victoria’s traffic light system, but Byron in NSW was declared an orange zone from 6pm on Monday.

Four travellers from the QANTAS QF 409 said they weren’t asked by anyone at the airport whether they had been to Byron or any exposure sites.

They are asked whether they have been in an orange zone when they fill out their permit however.

One man told the Herald Sun that there was an announcement on the plane, but that “was it”.

One man, who didn’t want to be named, said his permit had been checked last week “but not this time”.

A quiet Brisbane CBD as the city remains in lockdown.

STRIPPING TRADIE HAS GOLD COAST ON EDGE

The Gold Coast is holding its breath after a local tradie moonlighting as a stripper at a COVID-infected hen’s party at Byron Bay visited 11 potential exposure sites across the city, including an aged care centre now in lockdown and surf lifesaving titles.

The sites are in Southport, Mermaid Beach, Bundall, Tugun, Kirra, Nobby Beach and Surfers Paradise and included the Queensland State Surf Life Saving Championships.

Thousands of competitors at the titles will have to be tested for COVID-19, with authorities asking anyone who was there between 12.30pm and 2pm on Sunday to be immediately tested.

Read the full story here.

SYDNEY PERMITS NOT CHECKED

Several passengers who have flown into Melbourne Airport from Sydney have told the Herald Sun their travel permit wasn’t checked.

Sydney has been designated a green zone under Victoria’s traffic light system, but Byron in NSW was declared an orange zone from 6pm on Monday.

Four travellers from the QANTAS QF 409 said they weren’t asked by anyone at the airport whether they had been to Byron or any exposure sites.

They are asked whether they have been in an orange zone when they fill out their permit however.

One man told the Herald Sun that there was an announcement on the plane, but that “was it”.

One man, who didn’t want to be named, said his permit had been checked last week “but not this time”.

— Sarah Booth

BYRON BAY ADVICE UPDATED

Health officials have issued updated venue alerts for Byron Bay as New South Wales braces for COVID cases as a result of Queensland’s two clusters.

Contact tracers are awaiting the test results of 14 people to see whether the virus spread into NSW by two infected women who attended a hens’ weekend in the Northern Rivers.

The 14 people have been directed to isolate for two week regardless of their test result.

Meanwhile, the Byron Shire Council is looking to the state government for advice about whether Bluesfest should go ahead.

The event is expected to begin on Thursday and NSW health officials have urged people from Brisbane not to attend.

Follow the latest NSW COVID updates here.