Australian Reports of the Virus Spread

[justinbrett]

Great. Cue VIC locking NSW out to stop any more of the outbreak coming in. Watch for all LGA’s to be declared red shortly

Would think the non-Greater Sydney LGAs are declared orange, not red.

Not much justification to lock out Byron but stay open to ACT.

Edit: It's really hard not to mix this thread with the border closures thread. So much overlap. Possibly should be combined.

 

[lovetravellingoz]

Weimar has now arrived at the Press Conference.

Case was notified just prior to 10am.

Has one workplace close contact.
5.30PM Flight.


Has now been linked to a social event in Sydney that NSW Health have been dealing with. Evidently that party, but he has not yet been contacted by the NSW Contact Tracing Team.

Caveat: The man is still being interviewed an other facts may be forthcoming and/or may be amended once the interview is complete. So the actual event has to be confirmed.


From ABC News:
By Michael Doyle

New Melbourne case was potentially at Sydney 'super spreader' event​

Commander of the COVID-19 Response. Jeroen Weimar, has given more information.
He is believed to have been at social event in Sydney,
It is believed this could be the West Hoxton birthday party, which has been labbled a 'super spreader' event.
Mr Weimar said NSW Health has not contacted the man yet.
The man in his 60s lives in Oakleigh.
He works at a dry-cleaners in Sandringham, where a worker is now a close contact.
His flight on Sunday landed at around 5:30pm.


While the social event is yet to be confirmed, Dr Chant said earlier today that NSW does not have a backlog, and contact tracers were on top of the situation. So one wonders what the situation in this instance was.

 

[jakeseven7]

Victoria moves Greater Sydney into red zone after suspected interstate transmission​

Breaking: Victoria declares all of Greater Sydney plus Wollongong a red zone

Melbourne flight carrying COVID case from Sydney identified — as it happened

Health authorities list a Jetstar flight and a terminal at Tullamarine airport as exposure sites after a man in his 60s flew from Sydney to Melbourne before testing positive to COVID-19.

www.abc.net.au

 

[justinbrett]

Covid contacts have now spread to federal MPs in Canberra

 

[lovetravellingoz]

ABC News: Extra detail from Foley at the Vic Presser:

Mr Foley said interviews with the Sydney traveller were ongoing, but they suspected exposure sites would be listed shortly, including public transport taken by the man from the airport to his home in the City of Monash.​

​

"We know, fortunately, he lives alone and we know that there was a workplace that has been identified in Sandringham," he said.​

​

Health authorities said it was a dry cleaning business that had been closed for cleaning.​

​

The man is understood to have had contact with customers, and one of his colleagues has been identified as a primary close contact.​

 

[jakeseven7]

Looks like NSW Police are going hard after the index case and their employer....

------

Police investigation into limousine driver in Bondi COVID cluster broadens​

NSW Police say their investigation into a limousine driver at the centre of Sydney’s latest COVID-19 outbreak has been broadened to include a range of traffic and workplace health and safety offences.

• Police are investigating whether the limousine driver breached a transport order requiring a mask and vaccination
• The Health Minister has asked for the order to be made explicit
• The investigation will now include transport offences and work safety compliance by the driver's employer

The driver, a man in his 60s, works as a driver for international flight crew to and from Sydney Airport and it's thought he transported a crew of three from a FedEx freight plane before he became infectious.

Police broaden investigation into limousine driver in Bondi cluster to include employer

An investigation into the Sydney limousine driver who drove international flight crew before becoming infectious with COVID-19 is expanded to include other offences by his employer, police say.

www.abc.net.au

 

[Flying mermaid]

Looks like NSW Police are going hard after the index case and their employer....

------

Police investigation into limousine driver in Bondi COVID cluster broadens​

NSW Police say their investigation into a limousine driver at the centre of Sydney’s latest COVID-19 outbreak has been broadened to include a range of traffic and workplace health and safety offences.

• Police are investigating whether the limousine driver breached a transport order requiring a mask and vaccination
• The Health Minister has asked for the order to be made explicit
• The investigation will now include transport offences and work safety compliance by the driver's employer

The driver, a man in his 60s, works as a driver for international flight crew to and from Sydney Airport and it's thought he transported a crew of three from a FedEx freight plane before he became infectious.

Police broaden investigation into limousine driver in Bondi cluster to include employer

An investigation into the Sydney limousine driver who drove international flight crew before becoming infectious with COVID-19 is expanded to include other offences by his employer, police say.

www.abc.net.au

And so they should! I won’t comment further until the investigation is complete, but if any rules have been broken then they should be penalised!

 

[Lynda2475]

The way we report numbers in this state is crazy

Its been consistent since the beginning. Official numbers to 8pm the night before always comes out at 11am and then the presser is also usually at 11am, only very occasionally like today there is a delay with the presser. If there are other cases known for the next day, they will announce in the interests of transparency.

Better to have timely information re newer cases than to hold back releasing details for another day.

 

[Flying mermaid]

Covid contacts have now spread to federal MPs in Canberra

Barnaby Joyce has been cleared so hopefully not! 1400 ACT residents have declared they have been in a Sydney hotspot and are now under stay at home orders.

 

[Lynda2475]

In todays presser Dr Chant explained why 3 day lock downs are necessary with a subtle dig at the contract tracing in other states.

Chief health officer Dr Kerry Chant said going into a snap three-day lockdown isn’t the right approach in this situation.

“Three days is not long enough and if you have a look at the reasons for the three days, it is a pause where you have a sudden surge of cases and you want everybody to stay in the same place, and that allows you to get any backlog of any contact tracing,” she said.

“We are not that situation where we are not getting to people in terms of the contact tracing.”

 

[dajop]

In todays presser Dr Chant explained why 3 day lock downs are necessary with a subtle dig at the contract tracing in other states.

Yes I think that has been mentioned before. IIRC, Victoria were asked why 7 day and not 3 day and they said something to the same effect , and the Vic lockdown (which turned into 14 days obviously) was not about giving contact tracers time to catch up but more about the undetected chains of transmission (remember the guy who was out and about whilst symptomatic a week or more before being tested).

 

[Lynda2475]

Well I do not believe we will lock down, the anxiety outside NSW is simply not present here in Sydney.

 

[bcworld]

• Police are investigating whether the limousine driver breached a transport order requiring a mask and vaccination
• The Health Minister has asked for the order to be made explicit

These two points are interesting. Sky News (handful of salt) was claiming yesterday that there was zero requirement in the 'orders' for either vaccination OR mask wearing by the driver. I saw an interview with Brad Hazzard post the start of this outbreak where I thought he confirmed vaccination is not mandatory so I thought that was clear?

There may also be an allegation that the required daily rapid testing was not being conducted.

 

[kamchatsky]

Well I do not believe we will lock down, the anxiety outside NSW is simply not present here in Sydney.

Well NSW has always tried to treat their residents as adults, and use common sense approach. That's why NSW's economy is doing so well. They won't try to kill business unnecessarily.

Most people will do the right thing and simply avoid non-essential travel.

 

[bcworld]

Well NSW has always tried to treat their residents as adults, and use common sense approach. That's why NSW's economy is doing so well.

Obviously there are many metrics but the unemployment rates in May 2021:

Vic: 4.8%
NSW: 5.0%

 

[lovetravellingoz]

“We are not that situation where we are not getting to people in terms of the contact tracing.”

Though it was indicated after that statement that the positive case today (result known at 10am) in Vic who had attended a social event in NSW under investigation by NSW Health had not been contacted by them. That would seem to suggest that statement is not completely accurate.

 

[justinbrett]

Well I do not believe we will lock down, the anxiety outside NSW is simply not present here in Sydney.

And 150Km up the F3, life is completely normal here in Newcastle with zero restrictions and zero change to behaviour.

It's kind of funny watching QLD sweat over the border - it's got to get through Newcastle and another 700Km first. If we're not worried, they shouldn't be.

 

[kamchatsky]

And 150Km up the F3, life is completely normal here in Newcastle with zero restrictions and zero change to behaviour.

It's kind of funny watching QLD sweat over the border - it's got to get through Newcastle and another 700Km first. If we're not worried, they shouldn't be.

Maybe they don't want any Blues supporters travel to Brisbane, to give themselves a better chance to win?

 

[Lynda2475]

That would seem to suggest that statement is not completely accurate.

The fact that a Victorian man who went to a private social event in a household (no QR code requirements) does not in anyway indicate that NSW Contract tracers are overwhelmed.

It more likely indicates dishonesty either that the party had more than 30 people in attendance and no one remembered he was there, or he asked others to not mention he was there. Did he check in anywhere in NSW during his trip?

 

[lovetravellingoz]

The fact that a Victorian man who went to a private social event in a household (no QR code requirements) does not in anyway indicate that NSW Contract tracers are overwhelmed.

It more likely indicates dishonesty either that the party had more than 30 people in attendance and no one remembered he was there, or he asked others to not mention he was there. Did he check in anywhere in NSW during his trip?

Are not all of those points what contact tracers are meant to check?

And if the party actually did have more than 30 people in attendance of whom I would imagine not all were Victorians (not that should be relevant), given that thirteen now are positive is that not of concern? Not that it may be a different social event.

As to dishonesty, up till now the attendees had all been praised for doing exactly the right things. Something seems odd.