Coronavirus NSW: Teachers at Sydney school tested for COVID-19 after visiting Crossroads Hotel

Staff members at a school in Sydney’s southwest have been tested for COVID-19 after they were linked to a pub cluster in the area.

Staff members at a school in Sydney’s southwest have been tested for COVID-19 after they were linked to a pub cluster in the area.

St Francis Catholic College in Edmondson Park issued a letter to parents and carers informing them that a group of teachers had attended the Crossroads Hotel on Friday July 3.

The Crossroads Hotel, in Casula, is now linked to at least eight suspected coronavirus cases in NSW.

“The staff members who attended the hotel did so after the school day ended and did not subsequently interact with students from the college,” the letter said.

“Every staff member who attended the hotel has undergone COVID-19 testing. All of the results have been negative to date, and we are now only waiting on a few final results to come through.”

Around 25 teachers from St Francis Catholic College at Edmondson Park attended the Crossroads Hotel on July 3. All being tested. School supposed to go back Monday. ⁦@9NewsSyd⁩ pic.twitter.com/b28Fvol0zh

— Chris O'Keefe (@cokeefe9) July 13, 2020

It comes after NSW Health confirmed eight new cases of COVID-19 linked to an outbreak at the Crossroads Hotel.

Another pub has closed after one of those in the new cluster went to the pokies over three days.

“Another case linked to the outbreak attended Picton Hotel during their infectious period, attending on 4, 9 and 10 July in the gaming room. The hotel is closed for cleaning,” NSW Health said in a statement.

Dr Kerry Chant told 2GB Radio that the “focus is now on controlling the outbreak”.

She also confirmed that there are links between the Sydney cluster and the second wave of outbreaks in Melbourne.

“We do have some linkages to Melbourne but we need some further diagnostic tests,” she said.

RELATED: Follow our live coronav irus coverage here

Sydney is on high alert following reports of the pub outbreak. Picture: Getty Images

Sydney has been on high alert for days, with large-scale testing regimes in place following reports of the pub outbreak.

Health authorities confirmed on Friday that two people who attended the Crossroads Hotel on Friday, July 3 were infected, prompting a pop-up testing clinic in the venue’s carpark.

A man from the Blue Mountains tested positive, NSW Health confirmed Saturday morning, and three members of his household have subsequently returned positive results.

These diagnoses follow another woman contracting the virus at the pub on the same night, with their visits declared the “only known link”.

RELATED: Customer details weren’t taken at hotel, claims patron

Anyone who visited the pub has been urged to get tested immediately and isolate for 14 days. Picture: Getty Images

Lauren, a customer who attended the hotel on Wednesday, said neither her name or any other contact details were recorded, leaving her disappointed that precautions weren’t taken.

The 26-year-old told news.com.au that the venue had been “relatively busy, as it would’ve been on any given night pre-COVID” but with less of a crowd.

And while the pub did have some social distancing measures in place – tables marked with signs telling people not to sit at them – she said it was mainly up to the patrons to ensure they were physically distanced from each other.

She said her name, phone number or other contact details weren’t taken at the door like other businesses had implemented since reopening.

“At the time I didn’t think about it too much, to be honest,” Lauren said.

“Reflecting on it now, it angers me. During the media conference they mentioned having a list of patrons … is this only the people who booked tables? Where was this list located?

“If they only had one list, why didn’t they lock off the rest of the entrances and have everyone walk through the same entry to sign it?”

I was at crossroads hotel on Wednesday July 8 which is why I had to be tested for covid today and subsequently why I have to self isolate. I just want to say that no one took down my name or number or any other details at the hotel on the night I was there. pic.twitter.com/pPUQqxqlH4

— 𝐋𝐚𝐮𝐫𝐞𝐧 🌻 (@__la_uren) July 12, 2020

Asked whether police had heard from witnesses who did not have their contact details taken at the pub, NSW Police Minister David Elliott said it would be part of the investigation.

“That’s a concern but that will be part of the investigation, and if people have information they should contact authorities,” he said at a press conference today.

It is understood pub patrons who’ve been tested will be told in the next 72 hours whether they have a positive result.

Australia’s deputy chief medical officer Nick Coatsworth told reporters yesterday afternoon it was “critically important” that anybody who visited the pub isolates for 14 days and seeks a test.

NSW reported five new cases of COVID-19 yesterday, bringing its total to 3478.