Fears for NSW Hunter Region after two workers test positive, other positive cases ‘visited nightclubs’

This region in NSW is preparing for the worst after a spate of positive cases, including a “belated” reveal over its busiest nightclubs.

Residents in the NSW Hunter Region are bracing themselves after a spate of new positive cases, a growing list of exposure sites and almost all of its latest cases active in the community while infectious.

The Delta variant has crept further out of Sydney, with a number of regional local government areas including Byron Shire, Tamworth, and Newcastle all in snap lockdowns.

Last Thursday, the Hunter and Upper Hunter regions were thrown into a week-long lockdown as Covid-19 continued its deadly spread.

Five cases were recorded in the region at the time, with a beach party believed to be the source of the initial infections, linked back to western Sydney.

The virus has spread again, with fears of another devastating outbreak and a prolonged lockdown similar to Sydney after it was revealed “belatedly” that members of the beach party involved visited three of the “busiest” nightclubs in Newcastle, with authorities on Tuesday afternoon issuing an “urgent call-out” for any one who attended the venues on Friday night.

More venues in Newcastle, the Honeysuckle Social and Queen’s Wharf Hotel, were announced just before midnight last night.

Thr venues are the “the epicentre of young adult social life in Newcastle CBD”, Peter Jolly, a Triple M broadcaster in the region, told news.com.au.

The aged care sector is also of particular concern after two workers from separate facilities tested positive for Covid-19.

“It’s extremely disappointing,” Hunter New England Population Health public health physician, Dr David Durrheim said.

Hunter New England Health confirmed a significant number of new Covid-19 contact venues on Tuesday after all but one of the 13 new cases in the region was active in the community while infectious.

RELATED: Hunter, Upper Hunter in lockdown for one week

RELATED: Urgent virus alert 750km from Sydney

The 13 new cases takes the total number of cases in the current outbreak to 39 in the region.

Of the 13, there are 10 from the Newcastle local government area (LGA), while three are from the Lake Macquarie LGA.

Two of the new cases worked in aged care facilities while infectious, at Masonic Village, Edgeworth and Hammond Care, Waratah, Dr Durrheim said.

“Newcastle is NSW’s second biggest city and there is fear in the community about the rapid increase in covid numbers after only three to four days of testing,” Mr Jolly told news.com.au.

“Regional media doesn’t have a voice at the 11am presser and we have 500,000 people with one main hospital.

“Forty cases pretty much in three days would be a huge story if it’s Melbourne or Brisbane.

“There’s so many exposure sites. Nightclubs, shopping centres, the list is huge. Newcastle is a very condensed area and people shop at the same places.”

But there is hope that high vaccination rates will prevent any serious outbreak.

Teams move in to deep clean Morriset High School at Lake Macquarie after a student tested positive. Picture: Peter Lorimer

The Hammond Care staff member worked in two cottages while infectious. Of the 17 residents in those two cottages, three are not fully vaccinated and all have tested negative to Covid-19 in tests conducted to date.

In a statement, Hammond Care Chief Executive Officer Mike Baird said measures were in place to stop the spread of infection to other parts of the home.

“We are deeply concerned that residents have been impacted in this way,” Mr Baird said.

“We are undergoing extensive testing of all residents in the affected cottages and staff. We will also be testing all other residents at Waratah out of an abundance of caution.”

Mr Baird said the two cottages at Waratah are in full lockdown.

“While we are doing all we can for the residents, our thoughts are also with the staff member who is passionate about resident care and distressed about what has taken place,” Mr Baird said.

At the Masonic Village, 62 residents came into contact with an infected worker who was unvaccinated. It says only three of the residents are unvaccinated but access to the vaccine for its workers has been a challenge.

⚠️URGENT - New COVID-19 Exposure Sites ⚠️

Casual contact:

📍The Great Northern Hotel, Newcastle on
Friday 30 July from 7pm – 8pm

📍Babylon, Newcastle on
Friday 30 July from 8.05pm – 8.30pm

📍The Cambridge Hotel, Newcastle on
Friday 30 July from 8.45pm – 3.00am pic.twitter.com/iCWoETOUQu

— HNE Health (@HNEHealth) August 10, 2021

⚠️PUBLIC HEALTH ALERT – NEW VENUES OF CONCERN⚠️

NSW Health has been notified of new venues of concern in Newcastle and southern Sydney which are associated with confirmed cases of COVID‑19. pic.twitter.com/4XWn2fCy8M

— NSW Health (@NSWHealth) August 10, 2021

The lockdown came into effect at 5pm on Thursday and will last until 11.59pm on Thursday, August 12. But doubt has been cast on whether the region can keep Covid-19 under control within that time.

On Tuesday night, an urgent alert was issued for six new locations across NSW, including some more than 750 kilometres away from Sydney.

Venues in Newcastle and the Northern Rivers as well as a bus route in Lake Macquarie have all been exposed to Covid-19.

NSW recorded 356 new cases of Covid-19 and four deaths on Tuesday, marking the worst days the state has experienced since the pandemic began.

Hunter New England Health said extra testing sites will be set up on Wednesday to assist.

❗️ New testing sites

👇 From tomorrow - Speers Point, Wickham, Dungog and Inverell pic.twitter.com/VE1zUHrCZq

— HNE Health (@HNEHealth) August 10, 2021