The family of a limo driver, understood to be Sydney's Delta strain 'patient zero', have told their side of the story and made a big claim.
The family of a limo driver who is understood to be Sydney's Delta strain 'patient zero' have put their side of the story across and cast serious doubts on the assertion that he was the first with virus.
The driver has been subject to blame and criticism since the outbreak first emerged.
Authorities said he was unvaccinated while transporting international aircrews to and from Sydney airport before sparking infections across Bondi.
Follow along for today’s Covid-19 updates. You can find yesterday's blog here.
Australians who get serious blood clots after the AstraZeneca vaccine may soon be able to claim compensation thanks to a new scheme.
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Read the full story here.
The family of a limo driver who is understood to be Sydney's Delta strain 'patient zero' have put their side of the story across and cast serious doubts on the assertion that he was the first with virus.
The driver has been subject to blame and criticism since the outbreak first emerged.
Authorities said he was unvaccinated while transporting international aircrews to and from Sydney airport before sparking infections across Bondi.
NSW Police carried out investigation into his behaviour but found there was insufficient evidence to establish that he breached any public health orders.
Now his son has started a GoFundMe page and explained the family's side of the story.
He said that on the weekend of June 12 and 13 when NSW Health claims his dad spread the virus to two people during fleeting contact at Westfield Bondi Junction and a Vaucluse cafe, he also spent between four to five hours at his home with family – but nobody caught the virus.
He said his dad has become a "scapegoat" for the outbreak by the government and the media.
"My father always wore gloves, masks and sanitised his vehicles between passengers and this was confirmed by the numerous people that police interviewed during their investigation," he said.
"All international air crew that he drove have tested negative to COVID, so how on earth could Gladys Berejiklian, Dr Kerry Chant and Brad Hazzard go on public television and make unsubstantiated claims that he is patient zero?
"Being the first to test positive doesn't make you patient zero. Remember: he is only getting tested because he's required to for his job.
"We all know that Covid can be asymptomatic for the majority of people. Surely they realise it could have been in the community for some time undetected?"
He said his dad spent 4-5 hours with his younger sister and her children on June 11, "doing all the things that grandparents do – hugs, kisses, mealtime".
"None of them have to this day tested positive to COVID," he said.
"How is it that such a contagious disease skipped his children and grandchildren, but infected a man in his 50s at Myer the same morning? That is why he thinks he got it out and about in the community."
NSW Health believes the driver caught the Delta strain of the virus on Friday, June 11, before he spent the weekend travelling around the eastern suburbs with his wife, visiting Belle Cafe in Vaucluse and shopping at Westfield Bondi Junction.
He is believed to have shared the virus with a man in his 50s he passed at Myer, while in another similarly brief moment at the cafe it is thought a woman in her 70s contracted the same virus.
However, the son said his dad may have caught the virus the following day at a cafe.
"The following day (June 12th) my parents went to Belle Cafe and they report someone there coughing and sneezing. That is why they suspect they got it out and about," he said.
The son said his dad is an "honest, hard working and well respected man who did nothing but follow all of the health orders given to him".
"We have been beside ourselves with stress. The stress of mum and dad having Covid in addition to the stress of wondering if the police are going to charge my father for simply doing his job whilst following all health orders," he said.
"The government insisted in ordering additional investigations in an attempt to pin this on him."
He said the GoFundMe page is about showing support for his dad.
"It breaks my heart that he and my mother have had to endure this mindless scapegoating by a government that cannot seem to get things under control and have opted to blame, rather than protect, an individual who has simply done nothing wrong," he said.
NSW lockdown rules may be too “soft” and could derail the state’s chances of easing restrictions by the end of next week, one expert says.
There is increasing nervousness about the prospect of an extended lockdown, with the state announcing 31 new cases on Friday. More concerning was the fact that 13 cases were active in the community while infectious.
Pandemic fatigue could bring Australia undone after fears of a Delta variant breakout that plunged parts of Queensland into lockdown never eventuated, experts have warned.
A casual worker contracted the Delta variant while working outside a Covid-19 ward at Prince Charles Hospital and travelled for 10 days while infectious, including a return trip to Townsville.
So far only her sibling has contracted the virus, but experts fear complacency about the highly contagious Delta variant may set in.
A fourth new locally acquired case has been detected in Queensland.
The man in his 50s has been in the community on the Sunshine Coast and public health alerts are being issued, but authorities say lockdown for the Sunshine Coast region will still ease at 6pm on Friday.
The man became symptomatic on Wednesday and was tested yesterday.
Queensland Health is investigating any link to existing cases and identifying the strain.
The owners of an organic grocery store have been arrested in a wild clash with police over their refusal to allow mask use inside their store for "hygiene reasons".
New South Wales Police attended the store at Bowral in the NSW Southern Highlands just after midday yesterday after multiple reports from members of the public about non-compliance.
The store has posted its own footage of the intense scenes that followed.
It shows the store's female owner being bundled into the back of a police van by two police officers.
When the male owner stepped in to object to her arrest, he was grabbed by officers, slammed into the back of the van and then wrestled to the ground.
The store's Instagram page – which contains a number of anti-mask posts and others questioning Covid-19 vaccines – the owners claimed the drama had begun inside the store when police were called about the shop's opposition to mask use.
This opposition can be seen in a sign outside the shop which claims masks are unhygienic, and states that customers who wear them won't be served.
It also informs customers who have been vaccinated that they are not welcome for up to 10-14 days after their shot.
"For over 1.5 hours the police discussed this with owners," the post said.
"A customer and a friend decided to film the discussion – that's when it all kicked off. They refused to allow the filming and forcibly tried to remove her from the store."
The owners accused an officer of putting her hands behind her back and pushing her from the store.
The video showed the male shopkeeper approaching officers as they tried to put the female owner into the police van, and he asked "what has she done?" as the officers warned him to "walk away".
After the woman was pushed inside the van, the owner was immediately grabbed by an officer, to which he shouted "don't touch me".
Officers then pushed the owner against the back of the van with enough force to knock the cap from his head, and pushed a hand into his face.
Police said the pair were arrested for allegedly breaching public health orders.
They said they observed employees and customers not wearing masks and were told by those people that they did not plan to fall in line with the directive.
WARNING: This video contains very strong language
Must watch Aussie’s … Disgusting scenes in Bowral, New South Wales, Australia today as the owners of an organic food store are violently arrested for refusing to serve masked customers over hygiene concerns. pic.twitter.com/uvB07ptILf
— daisymay4263 (@daisymay4263) July 2, 2021
A 62-year-old woman was arrested for refusing to provide police with her details and another woman, a 61-year-old customer, was arrested for not wearing a mask in the store.
The 62-year-old was later released however the 61-year-old was issued with a $200 penalty infringement notice for not wearing a face covering in a place of business.
A man was also charged with assaulting police and resisting an officer in the execution of duty after he followed police outside.
He will appear in Moss Vale Local Court next month.
There's good news for Perth and Peel resident's who have been in lockdown for four days – the stay at home orders will be lifted tonight.
"This is a great result that every Western Australian should be proud of," the WA Premier said.
"We will then take the re- safe and sensible steps over the next nine days. To get us back to our restriction-free, pre-lockdown lives by Monday, July 12."
The new case is a 21 year woman and has been in quarantine with her partner since Sunday.
Anthony Albanese has channelled Australia’s World War II leader as he outlined his vision of the post-Covid economy, pledging to beat a path to full employment.
As he delivered a major pre-election speech to the National Press Club on Friday, Mr Albanese cited former prime minister John Curtin as a leader who turned a crisis into an opportunity for long-term reform.
The Premier of WA will be speaking in the next hour, where he will outline what will happen with Perth's lockdown.
The Perth and Peel regions were plunged into a four-day lockdown on Tuesday, after three COVID-19 cases were found in the community.
We'll bring you the key updates from the press conference.
Hi everyone, just a heads up that today's media conference will be held at 1:45pm.
— Mark McGowan (@MarkMcGowanMP) July 2, 2021
As I'm sure you can appreciate, between the lockdown and National Cabinet there's a lot of work that has had to happen this morning, and plenty to update you on.
Stay tuned.
One Aussie state has revealed its next move on a major vaccine development project – which promises to change the way it responds to future health challenges.
Australians could soon be eligible for two new Covid vaccines, created to protect against new strains of the virus.
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