Limo driver at centre of Sydney’s outbreak makes bombshell claim

The limousine driver at the centre of Sydney’s latest Covid outbreak has broken his silence, making a bold claim about his infection.

Questions have surrounded why an unvaccinated limousine driver was allowed to transport airline crew as Sydney grapples with its latest Covid outbreak.

But the man at the centre of the latest cluster has shared his side of the story, making a bold claim that he doesn’t believe he is patient zero.

The outbreak has sparked a flurry of questions around how the driver became infected.

The limousine driver spoke to A Current Affair‘s Lauren Golman but preferred to remain anonymous amid fears for his and his family’s safety.

Ms Golman then relayed their conversation to ACA host Tracy Grimshaw.

The driver is in his 60s, making him eligible for the AstraZeneca vaccine, and while he said he is not opposed to getting vaccinated, he has some concerns given a history of blood clots in the family.

The limo driver has broken his silence. Picture: ACA

“He says he has been working with his doctor, they talk regularly, they try to come up with some sort of plan but at this stage he is too afraid to have the AstraZeneca vaccine,” Ms Golman said.

But the most surprising claim is that the man does not believe he is patient zero and instead picked up the virus in the local community.

He told Ms Golman he was not working between June 12 and June 14. He was tested for Covid on Tuesday morning and claims he caught it from another patron at the Belle Cafe in Vaucluse.

“He feels he caught it out and around,” Ms Colman told Ms Grimshaw.

“He told me a story about the fact that he was sitting next to a gentleman who looked like he was in his 30s, who was coughing and sneezing, he became worried, sitting next to that person and he thinks he caught it at Belle Cafe at Vaucluse.”

NSW Health believes he is patient zero and a police investigation into the limousine driver is underway.

According to Ms Colman the driver claims he was wearing a mask and gloves and gets tested regularly.

Thousands have been turning out for testing. Picture: NCA NewsWire/Joel Carrett

The vaccine is not mandated but it is strongly recommended, especially for someone working in a position like the driver.

NSW recorded 11 new cases on Thursday including one mystery case.

There have been 49 local virus cases since the limousine driver who transported aircrews between their hotel quarantine accommodation and Sydney airport returned a positive result.

This includes 36 cases linked to the Bondi cluster.

The aircrew driver was diagnosed with the highly infectious Delta strain and the genomic sequencing on his virus matches a returned traveller from the US.

“There is no room for complacency. Being slack about what the health authorities ask you to do is just inexcusable. We have to make sure that we all follow the rules,” NSW Health Minister Brad Hazzard said earlier in the week.

“Now, the police are obviously investigating the particular circumstances surrounding the limousine-driver and I won’t be commenting specifically on that limousine driver or those investigations.

“I will remind all drivers who pick people up from the airport more broadly is that you have obligations and your obligations are legal and they are to get saliva-tested every day and to make sure you wear appropriate PPE.”