Photo that proves Sydney doesn’t get it as northern beaches cluster grows
As the NSW outbreak continues to grow, there were signs Sydney was going to get a new coronavirus cluster before it even came to light.
For the most part, Sydneysiders have embraced a COVID normal life.
But scattered through certain suburbs and towns, complacency has crept into communities that hadn’t had a locally acquired case since December 3.
That changed this week with the coronavirus cluster on the northern beaches that has now risen to 28 cases.
It seems Sydneysiders thought the pandemic was over. They went back to everyday life with little regard for social distancing, mask wearing and consistent hygiene.
In fact, the most effort you’d find was a compulsory spray of hand sanitiser if you went into a venue on the northern beaches – if at all.
This photo from one establishment in the epicentre of Sydney’s latest outbreak shows just how complacent the community had become.
A COVID marshal high-vis vest sat draped on a bar with some disinfectant spray you can only hope had been used between people arriving.
Certainly there was no checking of registration as customers just waltzed in with ease.
In NSW venues are required to have a safe hygiene marshal present, particularly during peak times for smaller venues. This photo was taken on a Sunday at 5.40pm.
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Thousands of people on the northern beaches are being told to stay home to contain the spread of coronavirus as cases continue to rise, shooting up to 28 today.
In her press conference this morning NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian said while some businesses had been great at keeping records of customers with QR codes, others had been “hopeless”.
“Nobody should be getting on public transport without a mask … it would just be crazy if people are undertaking those activities without wearing a mask,” she said.
“We do have the potential to get on top of it, but it does require hard work on the behalf of all of us.”
She stressed existing systems were not the problem, but compliance with those systems.
Residents from The Spit to Palm Beach are being asked to stay at home for the next three days and WA is again forcing people from NSW to quarantine.
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NSW Health Minister Brad Hazzard said a “creeping complacency” had occurred over recent weeks.
He said the cluster was a reminder to all of us there was no room for complacency until we had a vaccine.
“Complacency just cannot continue,” he stressed this morning, after having a COVID test himself.
“Do not let complacency set in because it may be your family or your mum or your dad affected and particularly the young people, I would say this, people think they are immortal. You are not.
“Most importantly, you need to know that by not getting tested if you have any symptoms of a cold or flu-like illness than you are putting your older relatives and your grandparents and aunt and uncles and mum and dad at risk and everybody, this is a journey for everybody.”
Lisa Wilkinson, a Sydney resident, hit the nail on the head during Thursday’s episode of The Project, telling co-host Liz Ellis that NSW, “kind of forgot” that we were in a pandemic.
“In NSW, because we never went through what Victoria did or South Australia... we’ve just been sort of rolling along, thinking, ‘Gee, haven’t we done well,’” she said.
“Well, it turns out it is very definitely still out there and obviously people who are asymptomatic that are passing it on. We are in a pandemic and we kind of forgot.”
Ms Berejiklian warned there could be further restrictions down the track if Sydneysiders don’t comply with the current measures.