Coronavirus Australia: Anger at packed Human Nature concert, Sydney wedding with 700 guests

An RSL concert and a wedding with 700 guests collide to increase virus fears in Sydney’s west.

A packed Human Nature concert at the Rooty Hill RSL and a wedding with up to 700 guests at Fairfield have seen a venue fined, Sydneysiders outraged, and left the NSW police minister “furious”.

Footage of hundreds of music fans singing at the Human Nature concert at Rooty Hill RSL’s Sydney Coliseum at the weekend have been widely condemned, as mandatory mask laws come into effect in NSW today.

“Mate it was jam packed in the auditorium there wasn’t a spare seat in the house there was no distancing between people inside, you were touching elbows with the person next to you who you didn’t know,” audience member Ian said, on 2GB.

“I wore a mask so I felt reasonably happy about that part of it.”

Theatre operator West HQ chief executive Richard Errington defended the event saying the venue had stuck to audience limits.

“The theatre was not full, the capacity was just under 2000 and there was just over 1200 … we’ve been approved for 75 per cent seated capacity which must be ticketed and seated,” he said.

This photo was taken last night inside the @sydneycoliseum theatre.

I realise that new rules didn’t come into effect until midnight last night...but COVID doesn’t follow public health orders. pic.twitter.com/0EtlVVp6pS

— Kate Cole (@kate_cole_) January 2, 2021

Opposition leader Jodi McKay expressed her dismay at the images on social media.

“No social distancing, very few masks and a predominantly older audience,” she said.

Wedding venue fined $5000

Meanwhile the wedding venue in Sydney’s west was fined $5000 for allowing between 600 and 800 guests at a reception, the NSW Police Minister David Elliott said.

He confirmed police were investigating the Fairfield wedding reception held on Saturday about 10km away from a concerning cluster linked to a bottle shop in Berala.

Current NSW Health restrictions allow for a maximum of 350 guests and that is under the one person per four square metre rule.

NSW Police officers visited the venue on Spencer Street, Fairfield at about 9.20pm on Saturday.

“Officers (who attended) estimated the number of guests to be between 600 and 800 at the time. Under COVID restrictions set by NSW Health, weddings were limited to 350 guests,” a police statement said.

Mr Elliott said he was fuming about what had happened.

Police minister David Elliott: Minister for Police and Emergency Services speaks during a Press Conference at Police Headquarters in Parramatta in Sydney Australia on NOVEMBER 02, 2020. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Gaye Gerard

“The operator has been fined $5000 and I’m furious,” Mr Elliott told 2GB radio on Monday.

“I was told the Fairfield local area command attended a wedding venue (that had) 700 people and has been fined $5000. It’s infuriated me; it’s not that way I wanted to spend my Monday morning I can assure you.

“The operator, a 46-year-old man, did breach the Public Health Orders and it was such a high-level breach the police will ensure he gets the $5000 (fine). He can challenge that and risk himself six months in jail.”

Mr Elliott said the breach occurred just 10km away from the Berala cluster which now stands at 15 cases., with two new cases linked to on Monday morning.

The BWS bottle shop, at Berala. The store is at the centreof the new Berala COVID-19 cluster. Picture: Justin Lloyd

Thousands of customers who may have been exposed at the BWS Berala store between December 22 and December 31 are being urged to get tested and isolate for 14 days, regardless of the result.

“This isn't a dozen people that turned up unannounced, this is twice the amount of people that were allowed to attend that wedding reception in an area not far from Berala,” Mr Elliott told the Today show.

“So, it is a time that western Sydney needs to be well and truly on its game when it comes to complying with Public Health Orders.

“It is not about the fines or the punishment, this is about compliance, and people need to realise the police are enforcing a law to keep them healthy.

“We don’t want to go back into lockdown. That's why we have introduced these Public Health Orders and I’m very disappointed that the Fairfield police area command has had to go through that over the last 48 hours.”