NSW COVID hotspots: Alert for Qantas flight, Westfield, Woolworths

The list of venues linked to Sydney’s northern beaches cluster continues to spread, while an interstate flight is being investigated.

NSW Health has updated its COVID-19 hot spot list again, with scores more Sydneysiders expected to isolate over Christmas.

The MLC building food court in downtown Sydney is among the latest locations, along with the usual mix of gyms, restaurants and cafes.

If you were at these venues, you need to get tested immediately and isolate for 14 days, even if you get a negative result.

• Alma Avalon Restaurant, Avalon from 8.30pm on Wednesday December 16;

• Premier Academy League Under 8s, Macquarie University Soccer Fields from 9.15am-10.45am on Sunday December 13;

• Mona Vale Fitness First, Mona Vale all day on Thursday.

For this next one, you need to get tested and then isolate until you receive a negative result.

• MLC building food court, Sydney from 1pm-2pm on Tuesday December 15.

If you were at the next venue, you’re considered a casual contact and should monitor yourself for symptoms of the virus. If they appear, get tested and isolate.

• De’assis Collaroy Cafe, Collaroy from 9.15am-10.10am on Saturday December 12.

For this one, please get tested and isolate until NSW Health provides further information.

• Bondi Icebergs Club, Bondi (the pool deck level) from 8am-9.30am on Sunday December 20 and from 7am-8am on Monday December 21.

EARLIER

A pair of gyms led off the previous update from NSW Health.

• Anytime Fitness Berowra, 25-29 Turner Road, Berowra NSW 2081 on Wednesday 16 December between 5.30am-6.30am and Thursday 17 December between 5.30am-6.30am

• Anytime Fitness Kings Park, 1/152 Sunnyholt Rd, Kings Park NSW 2148, on Friday 18 December between 9.30am-11.45am

Authorities are also advising anone who visited the Cronulla RSL Club at 38R Gerrale Street on Wednesday 16 December from 5pm to closing that they are a close contact, while people who attended USA Nails & Footspa in Gordon for at least an hour on Friday December 18 between 12.30-1.30pm are also being considered close contact.

Anyone who visited these venues at these times is also considered a close contact and must get tested and isolate for 14 days, regardless of whether a negative result is received:

• Kirribilli Club, 11 Harbourview Crescent, Lavender Bay, NSW 2060, on Monday 14 December 12pm-3pm
• Hair by ErikaThe Village Shopping Centre, Burns Bay Road, Lane Cove, NSW 2066, on Friday 11 December 2:30pm-4:30pm
  
• Kirrbilli Hotel Milsons Point, 35-37 Broughton St, Milsons Point NSW, on Thursday 17 December 12.45pm-3pm
• Coffee Brothers Mona Vale, 1/54-56 Darley St, Mona Vale NSW, on Saturday 12 December 12pm-1pm
  
• The Sands, 1260 Pittwater Road, Narrabeen, on Tuesday 15 December 6pm- 8pm
• Rusti Fig, 3/363 Barrenjoey Road, Newport, on Saturday 12 December 9am to 10:30am
  
• ChaRice Noodle Bar, 2/331-335 Barrenjoey Rd, Newport, on Wednesday 16 December 1pm-2.30pm
  
• Lovat Restaurant, 316-324 Barrenjoey Road, Newport, on Tuesday 15 December 6.30pm-8.30pm. Patrons sitting inside or staff working on the floor at the bar are close contacts. Others are casual contacts and should monitor for symptoms.
  
• Motorserve Narrabeen Car Servicing, 1408-1410 Pittwater Rd, North Narrabeen, on Friday 18 December 10.30am to 12pm. Anyone who was in the waiting room for at least an hour during this time is considered a close contact. Anyone who was in the waiting room for less than an hour should monitor for symptoms and get tested if symptoms occur.
  
• Pronto Creative Foods, 1095 Barrenjoey Rd, Palm Beach, on Wednesday 16 December 7.30am-8.30am and Thursday 17 December 7.30am-8.30am
• Penrith RSL Club, 8 Tindale Street, Penrith, on Sunday 13 December 1pm to 6pm
  

New South Wales Premier Gladys Berejiklian urges residents to keep up-to-date with the NSW Health COVID-19 hot spot list. Picture: Gaye Gerard/NCA NewsWire

Qantas is also assisting the state’s contact tracers after the airline’s first recorded case of COVID-19 since late March raised alarm bells in both Sydney and Darwin.

An airline crew was operating repatriation flight QF176 from Paris to Darwin last Thursday and then boarded domestic flight QF841 to Sydney on Friday.

The crew member, a man, developed coronavirus symptoms while in self-isolation at home on Sunday and subsequently tested positive.

A Qantas spokesman explained the crew member was then moved into a government-managed quarantine accommodation, in alignment with NSW Health rules for airline crew, which changed on Tuesday to dictate crew must stay in one of two government-managed hotels before

Airline crew now have to stay in two government-managed hotels in between international flights.

Qantas medical director Dr Ian Hosegood said the airline was co-operating with NSW Health.

“We are providing support to a cabin crew member who tested positive for COVID-19, after operating the Federal Government’s repatriation flight back from Paris last week” Dr Hosegood said in a statement.

“I spoke to him last night and again this morning and thankfully he has only mild symptoms and is generally feeling well.

“We are working with the Federal and NSW health departments to investigate how he contracted the virus and establish close contacts including any other crew members.”

A Qantas crew member who flew from Paris to Darwin and then on to Sydney has been diagnosed with coronavirus, marking the airline’s first case in eight months. Pic Jenny Evans

Dr Hosegood said the risk of transmission on the domestic flight to Sydney was low.

“The crew member did not have symptoms when operating the repatriation flight or when travelling on the domestic sector, and was wearing a mask throughout both flights, so the risk of transmission is low,” he said.

“The domestic flight occurred more than 48 hours prior to symptom onset. We will be providing the flight manifest to NSW Health to assist with contact tracing passengers and crew on the domestic flight.”

This is Qantas’ first recorded COVID-19 case in eight months.

“Despite operating well over 100 international flights back from COVID hot spots – including Wuhan, the United States and Europe – this is the first Qantas crew member who has contracted the virus since late March,” Dr Hosegood said.

Qantas’ statement came moments after NSW chief health officer Dr Kerry Chant advised of the Qantas COVID-19 case in a media conference.

NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian announced eight locally transmitted cases had occurred in the past 24 hours, seven of those linked to the Avalon cluster.

Dr Chant also urged 140,000 residents across 36 suburbs on the Central Coast to come forward for testing after sewage detected traces of the virus near Gosford.

Earlier, supermarkets across Sydney and a number of other venues were added to the COVID health alerts list.

Westfield at both Bondi Junction and Warringah have been added to the alert list. Picture: Jenny Evans/Getty Images

Multiple sites on the northern beaches and eastern suburbs have been slapped with new or updated warnings, as fears of wider transmission spreads following news the virus had reached the western suburbs and maybe even as far as Orange in the state’s Central West.

The latest list of new and updated alerts has been issued by NSW Health, with anyone who visited these venues at these times considered a close contact and must get tested and isolate for 14 days, regardless of whether a negative result is received.

These include the following:

• Paddington Alimentari cafe, 2 Hopetoun St, Paddington — Thursday, December 17 from 5.30am-6pm, Friday, 18 December, from 5.30am-6pm, and Saturday, December 18 from 5.30am-6pm

All patrons who were seated at this venue – inside or outside – at the above times should get tested immediately and isolate for 14 days regardless of the result.

Patrons who bought takeaway should monitor for symptoms, and isolate and get tested immediately should they appear.

• Charlie & Franks, IBM Plaza, Shop 1, 601 Pacific Highway, St Leonards, Wednesday, December 16 9am-10am

Staff and patrons who were at the venue on this day for at least one hour between 9am-10am are close contacts and should get tested and isolate for 14 days even if they receive a negative result.

Patrons who were there for less than one hour between 9am-10am are casual contacts and we are requesting that you get tested as soon as possible and isolate pending test results.

• Fitness First Mona Vale, Pittwater Place Shopping Centre, 10 Park St, Mona Vale, Thursday, December 17 – 11.30am-1pm

The following public transport routes, B1-2, have been updated, and the same 14-day isolation directive applies:

• Monday, December 14, departing Wynyard Station Stand B, 5.47pm, arriving Warriewood BLine, Pittwater Rd, 6.40pm
• Tuesday, December 15, departing Warriewood BLine, Pittwater Rd, 6.39am, arriving Wynyard Station Stand M, 7.29am
• Tuesday, December 15, departing Wynyard Station Stand B 6.28pm, arriving Warriewood BLine, Pittwater Rd, 6.21pm
• Wednesday, December 16, departing Warriewood BLine Pittwater Rd 6.53am, arriving Wynyard Station Stand M, 7.41am
• Wednesday, December 16, departing Wynyard Station Stand B 4.31pm, arriving Warriewood BLine, Pittwater Rd, 5.25pm

Health authorities are pleading with residents to get tested. Picture: Adam Yip

Anyone who visited the following venues is considered a casual contact who must immediately get tested and isolate until a negative result is received.

• Scoop Wholefoods, Shop 6, 10 Park Street, Mona Vale, all times on Wednesday, December 16 through to Friday December 18
• Scoop Wholefoods, 14 Spit Rd, Mosman, Thursday December 17 between 8am and 10am
• London Hotel, Paddington, Thursday December 17 between 8.15pm and 9.30pm
• Brooke Withers Swim School, Warriewood, Wednesday December 16 between 2pm and 3.30pm
  
• Warriewood Valley Playground Rocket Park, Warriewood, Thursday December 17 between 10.15am and 12.30pm

Those who visited the following venues are considered a casual contact and are asked to monitor for symptoms and immediately get tested and isolate if they appear.

• Woolworths, Avalon Beach, Saturday December 12, between 12.00pm and 12.15pm
• Fresh Delights Cafe, Belrose, Thursday December 17 between 9.00am and 10.00am
• Westfield Bondi Junction, Saturday December 19 between 10.00am and 1.00pm
• Westfield Warringah Mall, Saturday December 19 between 10.00am and 1.00pm
• Woolworths Metro, Cronulla St, Cronulla, Sunday December 13 between 11.00am and 12.00pm
• Davidson Pizzeria, Davidson, Friday December 18 between 6.15pm and 6.45pm
• Woolworths, Monday Vale, Sunday December 13 between 12.00pm and 12.30pm
• Pittwater Place, Mona Vale, Saturday December 19 between 12.00pm and 1.00pm
• Coles, Mona Vale, Sunday December 13 between 1.00pm and 3.00pm and Saturday December 19 between 12.00pm and 12.45pm
• Coles, Avalon Beach in Newport, Wednesday December 9 between 4.00pm and 4.20pm, Friday December 11 between 5.00pm an 7.00pm, Saturday December 12 between 3.15pm and 3.30pm, and Tuesday December 15 between 2.00pm and 2.15pm and between 8.00pm and 8.25pm
• Coles, Turramurra, Thursday December 17 between 10.00am and 10.30am and Friday December 18 between 10.30am and 11.00am

The full list of venues can be found here.