Sydney Covid-19 block tenants told to ‘keep mouth shut’

Another housing block Covid cluster is emerging in a second inner-city Sydney location with an infected resident defying orders to keep quiet about it.

EXCLUSIVE

Another housing tower Covid-19 cluster has emerged in a second inner-city Sydney location with one of the infected residents being told to “keep your mouth shut” about the outbreak.

The new cluster – which comes a day after news.com.au exclusively revealed a Redfern housing tower had seen multiple Covid cases – is at a Darlinghurst block with a very vulnerable community.

Resident Tony told news.com.au that when he told the public housing authority about the rapidly spreading virus he was told to shut up and “mind your own business – we don’t want to scare anybody”.

Concerned about the health of others while he himself is worried about symptoms, Tony said: “What if someone dies?”

He took it upon himself to post signs in the apartment block foyer warning residents of the outbreak, and told news.com.au he was castigated by authorities for doing so.

When one of his neighbours reported the outbreak to NSW Police, the NSW Department of Communities and Justice – Housing (DCJ) and NSW Health she was told “there’s nothing to worry about”.

Tony, who has AIDS which has led to a compromised immune system, said he knew of at least five people who have tested positive to Covid-19 in the last week.

“And that’s just anecdotally, “ he said. “Who knows how many in this building are infected?

“There’s a lot of gay and lesbian people here, trans people and people with cancer, dementia and in wheelchairs and they tell us they don’t want us to ‘scare people’?”

Sign in the foyer of 254 Crown Street, Darlinghurst where residents report there is an emerging Covid cluster they were told to keep quiet about.

A new Covid cluster at a second inner Sydney housing block, this time in Darlinghurst (above) has broken out with tenants told to ‘shut up’ about it.

View from the back of the infected Crown Street flats.

Aerial of the newly infected housing block in Darlinghurst.

Thought it was the flu, diagnosed with covid

The cluster at a complex in Crown Street, Darlinghurst, began last week at the five-storey block which is near Sydney’s iconic Oxford Street.

“I was in the foyer last Friday – I water a lot of the plants – and a neighbour said that unit (number withheld) had been taken to hospital and was Covid positive.

“Then I was coming back from groceries and another neighbour told me a girl from unit (number withheld) had also ben taken to hospital.

“Then my next door neighbour who has advanced AIDS asked me to go to the chemist because he suddenly felt ‘flu like symptoms’.

“I called the ambulance, they came and checked on him, did his temperature and said to me ‘he’s okay, just getting the flu’.

“Then next day, he was worse, so he went to hospital and he too has become Covid positive.

“I then heard another person in the building was also Covid positive so I went and got tested.

Two of my friends in the building went and got tested and one friend who’s transgender she came back positive.

“I've rung Housing so many times for information and they told me ‘there’s no concern and until NSW Health contacts them there’s nothing they want to do,” Mr Slan said.

Tony Slan (above) asked to keep his visual identity private as his housing block battles a Covid outbreak about which he and was told to ‘shut your mouth’.

One of the signs Tony erected and was later told to ‘mind your own business’ about, but he fears for vulnerable fellow residents.

Foyer of the Darlinghurst block where a new Covid cluster at a second inner Sydney housing block has broken out.

‘How many need to get sick?’

“NSW Health, DCJ Housing and the police have been rung and emailed and all said that there’s nothing to worry about.

“I’ve posted it on Facebook and put signs in the entrance.

“Housing was angry at me and said ‘we don’t need people to tell us out job’.

“How many people does it take to get sick for them to at least notify all the people living in this building?

“All it takes is for someone to die.

“I’ve been vaccinated twice but I’ve got symptoms. I’m feeling week, very nauseous and have had aches and pains since Monday.”

Tony, who asked that his photograph be pixelated, said that because his location was an inner city housing block, many of the residents regularly went outside.

“A lot of people here go to Coles at Bondi Junction or take the 311 to Kings Cross to shop,” he said.

“So there’s bus routes and other suburbs where infected people could have gone.”

News.com.au has learnt that one resident contacted DCJ Housing on Tuesday, September 14 to raise concerns about covid in the building.

The Department allegedly did not tell anyone “to be quiet and not to worry” because it wanted tenants to be proactive about testing and vaccination.

DCJ delivers letters from NSW Health to infected buildings and sends SMS texts, and has engaged a contractor to help inner city tenants.

[e-mail]