Covidiot fined $10,000 for role in massive Newcastle outbreak

The man believed to have sparked the Newcastle super-spreading event has been fined $10,000, after he allegedly partied at the Argyle House nightclub despite being ordered to self-isolate.

The Argyle House nightclub in Newcastle.

The man believed to have sparked the Newcastle super-spreading event has been fined $10,000, after he allegedly partied at the Argyle House nightclub despite being ordered to self-isolate.

Police will allege the 20-year-old, who has since tested positive for Covid, was a close contact of an infected man who attended a boat party on Sydney Harbour five days earlier.

He has now been served with two $5000 fines for the alleged isolation breaches.

At least 200 of the 680 revellers who attended the 70s themed dance party at the Newcastle nightclub have tested positive for the virus, with the number expected to rise dramatically. Almost a third of NSW’s 1742 new Covid-19 cases have come from Newcastle, most of them confirmed as the Omicron variant.

On Thursday, NSW Health Minister Brad Hazzard called on all Newcastle residents to reconsider celebrations over the holiday period. “What we need to understand for the broader community in Newcastle is it might be a good idea to stay away from anywhere that has a lot of people jammed in together,” he said.

The Lunar Electric music festival due to take place on Saturday in Newcastle was cancelled under a Public Health Order, with NSW Health saying the event “presents too great a risk” to take place.

At least 97 cases of Covid, many of them expected to be the Omicron variant, have been confirmed among the 600 people who attended the Taylor Swift Red Party at the Metro Theatre in Sydney last Friday.