NSW Health concerned by mystery covid diagnosis in Joh Bailey Double Bay hairdresser

The male employee worked at the Sydney salon favoured by the city’s rich and famous socialites for a full three days while infectious.

Health authorities still don’t know how a hairdresser at a top Sydney salon caught coronavirus as the business remains closed for deep cleaning.

There are now three cases linked to the male hairdresser, who worked at the Joh Bailey Salon in Double Bay, a favourite of Sydney’s rich and famous.

It’s the only case in today’s numbers that authorities haven’t been able to link to an existing infection.

NSW Health confirmed 18 new locally acquired cases in the 24 hours to 8pm last night, 13 of which were already announced yesterday.

There were also six cases recorded outside of the official reporting period, meaning they will be included in tomorrow’s numbers. There are now 48 infections linked to Sydney’s outbreak.

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NSW chief health officer Dr Kerry Chant. Picture: Lisa Maree Williams/Getty Images

The hairdresser worked for three days while infectious, with anyone who attended Joh Bailey Salon in Double Bay on June 17, June 18 and June 19 between 8am and 5pm now considered close contacts who must isolate for 14 days, regardless of test results.

“There is a hairdresser from Western Sydney who works in Double Bay and he is not linked to a known case or cluster,” NSW chief health officer Dr Kerry Chant said today.

Authorities have been able to establish the source of infection for all other cases from yesterday, but have “not established the initial chain of transmission for the hairdresser”, she added.

It is now one of three cases where health officials have been unable to find a “clear link” to how they contracted coronavirus.

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The Double Bay salon has been closed for deep cleaning. Picture: Justin Lloyd

The other two are a nine-year-old student at St Charles’ Catholic Primary School and a patient at a health facility.

“Staff are working on that and will update the community,” Dr Chant said of the mystery infections.

“But widespread testing around the nine-year-old child occurred and has not identified any contact directly of teachers or family members or students at this stage, but testing is continuing.”
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Celebrity hairdresser Joh Bailey, who is co-owner of the salon. Picture: AAP Image/James Ross

In a statement posted to Instagram, Joh Bailey Salon owners Joh Bailey and Marilyn Koch announced they would be closing their Double Bay branch for “deep cleaning”.

“We will advise of our reopening date in due course,” they said. “Our Bondi and Bowral salons remain open with business as usual.”

Mr Bailey and Ms Koch also expressed their “deepest gratitude” to NSW in its handling of the outbreak, as well as the salon’s clients.

“An enormous thank you to our valued clients and community who have reached out with messages of support and kindness,” they said.

Gladys’ fears

The fact that the Joh Bailey case remains unlinked to a particular infection is especially concerning, given that earlier this week, Gladys Berejiklian hinted that a rise in unlinked cases could be the key factor that finally sparks a Sydney lockdown.

“ … if we suddenly have a number of unlinked cases and if we suddenly have them outside the geographic region they are concentrated in, we will obviously adjust the health advice and we will respond to that (idea of a lockdown),” she said on Tuesday.

Speaking on The Project this week, ABC reporter and medical expert Dr Norman Swan said the reason Sydney wasn’t in lockdown already was because there hadn’t been “too many surprises” in the outbreak so far – but if more unlinked cases arise, like the Joh Bailey case, that could easily change – fast.