New restrictions in Sydney after ‘fleeting’ infection in Bondi

The NSW premier says there has been one new case that has come about as a result of fleeting contact, and there are new recommendations.

The NSW premier says there has been one new covid case, that has come about as a result of “fleeting contact” in a shopping centre, and there are new restrictions for the state.

The one new locally acquired case since 8pm last night is a man in his 50s who had been to the Bondi Junction Westfield and came into contact with the infected limousine driver.

“It appears from CCTV cameras that it could have been a very fleeting contact between the infectious person and this gentleman in Bondi Junction,” she said.

Both of them visited the department store on June 12, and the new case was infectious from June 13.

While infectious this latest case visited venues in Redfern, Newtown, Bondi Junction and Campbelltown and travelled on train from Newtown to Bondi Junction on June 13 and from Bondi Junction to Campbelltown and return on June 15.

CCTV footage of the Bondi Junction’s Myer store puts the latest positive case on the same floor as the initial case on Saturday, but at this stage, Dr Kerry Chant says, authorities haven’t seen the moment of “fleeting contact” between the two.

NSW Chief Health Officer Dr Kerry Chant. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Dylan Coker

“At the moment they have placed him in the same floor in the same section of Myer. They have asked for further CCTV footage to see if there is inadvertent passing," she said.

“At the moment we don’t know the nature of the contact, the fact that the community would understand that, in general, when we are shopping in settings such as those sorts of retail environments we don’t generally come in close proximity.

“We just need to wait for the CCTV footage. You can’t recall everything that happens. There might be a close exposure.”

New rules in place from 4pm

As a response NSW Health is asking people in the Sydney and Blue Mountains (excluding the Central Coast and Wollongong and the Illawarra) area to follow updated health advice from 4pm today until just after midnight on Thursday 24 June.

• Avoid non-essential visits to aged care and disability facilities, but if visiting, wear a mask and limit visits to two people per day.

• Masks will be mandatory on public transport from 4pm today.

• Masks are strongly encouraged in all public indoor venues, such as retail, theatres, hospitals, aged care facilities and for front-of-house hospitality staff.

“It is not compulsory (to wear a mask in public indoor venues) but we are recommending that especially if you cannot guarantee social distancing especially in those places around the eastern suburbs,” said Ms Berejiklian.

Ms Berejiklian said organised events should proceed.

“If you’re planning to go to an organised event, those events should proceed because all major events, all outdoor events, all events have good COVID safety plans. So we don’t want anyone to cancel any event. We don’t want anyone to cancel any of those organised ticket events in particular,” she said.

“Just make sure that whether you are the organiser of the event or someone attending, that you stick to those recommendations we have given you and the good COVID safety plans.”

Authorities now more concerned

Dr Kerry Chant said she is more concerned about the situation in NSW than she was yesterday and explained what could lead to more restrictions.

“Every case is separate, the things we are looking up particularly other nature not of direct exposure, the fact that this lady yesterday associated with the cafe exposure was positive, what was pleasing was her next ring of close contacts were negative,” she said.

NSW recorded two locally acquired cases of #COVID19 in the 24 hours to 8pm last night, bringing the total number of cases in NSW since the beginning of the pandemic to 5,442. These cases were announced yesterday.

No new overseas-acquired case was recorded in the same period. pic.twitter.com/GVbG2sFpto

— NSW Health (@NSWHealth) June 18, 2021

“If we see that next ring is becoming positive before we get to them, that raises a concern because it means we are chasing our tails. And that is an indicator of risk.

“And if we see unlinked cases that we are concerned about.

“And my concern has gone up a little bit today because I am aware that transmission has occurred in a shopping centre and I understand that people may not have religiously checked in, people may not have been conscious that they went shopping or which settings.

And that is why I’m asking for particular vigilance.

“People know that they use Bondi Junction as a shopping centre, please just be particularly vigilant.”

Sydney ‘in trouble’ warns epidemiologist

One of the nation’s leading epidemiologists says restrictions needed to brought in quickly to control a growing Covid-19 outbreak in Sydney, saying the Harbour City is “in trouble”.

There have now been four cases picked up in the city’s outbreak. There is also another possible case, a man in his 40s from Sydney’s northwestern suburbs.

The first man to test positive is a limousine driver in his 60s, infected with the Delta strain, whose passengers included international flight crews.

Looking at the cases, the circumstances and the strain that could be spreading in Sydney, UNSW epidemiologist Mary-Louise McLaws says it’s time for authorities to take action.

“We’re in trouble, now we know the strain is Delta,” she told the ABC.

Medical staff working at the Bondi Drive Through Covid Testing Centre, Sydney. Picture: NCA NewsWire

“The restrictions need to be strictly and quickly because this virus has learnt how to be highly infectious and doesn’t need a lot to spread.

“It’s up to 70 per cent more infectious than other strains, so it’s very problematic.”

Despite the warnings, the new case northwestern suburbs has not passed the virus onto his three household contacts to date.

However authorities say his test results showed low virus levels and he is not yet linked to any known cases.

“An expert panel convened by NSW Health this evening reviewed the results of additional testing and was unable to rule out the possibility the person had Covid-19,” NSW Health said in a statement.

Ms Berejiklian meanwhile has urged those south of the bridge to be on high alert.

“Unless you absolutely have to attend a large gathering, unless you absolutely need to engage in activity of a social nature in next few days, we ask everybody to refrain from that,” she said.

“Assume that everybody you’re in contact with has the virus and assume you have the virus yourself and that’s the best advice we can give you as the next few days unfold.”

NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Dylan Coker

As residents await to see whether any new cases have been picked up in the past 24 hours, questions are being asked about how Sydney is in the situation yet again.

Many are asking why the original case wasn’t vaccinated and whether necessary infection controls were in place while he was transporting the international aircrews.

All drivers transporting international aircrew are required to be tested for coronavirus every day, however it was revealed the driver’s first time being tested was on June 15.

This has left NSW health authorities frantically “putting the pieces of the puzzle together”, prompting others to question whether the current infection control were enough to protect the community.

Dr Greg Kelly, who works at the The Children’s Hospital at Westmead in Sydney, took to Twitter to air his frustration at the current measures in place for quarantine workers.

“This latest NSW leak 100% preventable. Australia, all that is standing between airborne #COVID-19 & frontline workers (and therefore you, grandma & the rest of us) is a flimsy surgical mask,” he wrote.

“No airborne PPE, no smart workplace engineering, & no vaccine. THIS JUST ISN’T GOOD ENOUGH.”

This latest NSW case is so incredibly frustrating. People absolutely need to start losing jobs over this, and I don’t mean poor cafe and gym owners, I mean people with responsibility for quarantine

— Dr Greg Kelly (@drgregkelly) June 16, 2021

– with Ally Foster