NSW outbreak: Sydney pub-goers ordered to self-isolate
All the people who visited a pub in Sydney’s southwest over an eight-day period have been told to self-isolate regardless of their COVID-19 test result after authorities confirmed nine coronavirus cases linked to the establishment.
An 18 year-old staffer from the Crossroads Hotel in Casula and a close contact in her 50s, along with a woman in her 40s and a Victorian man in his 20s, are the latest to test positive for the virus.
NSW Health has urged anyone who entered the Crossroads Hotel in Casula between July 3 and 10 to self-isolate for 14 days.
“Even if you get a negative test, that does not mean you are out of the woods and hence we are asking that you isolate yourself for 14 days since you were last at the Crossroads Hotel,” said NSW chief health officer Dr Kerry Chant.
“A negative result does not mean you can breach self-isolation.”
About 1,600 customers have been tested at the pop-up testing clinic at the hotel since Friday, 7News reported.
Federal Labor MP Anne Stanley was among the patrons who dined at the pub. In a Facebook post, she said she has been tested for coronavirus and is entering self-isolation for 14 days.
The outbreak highlighted the importance of businesses recording the contact details of sit-down customers, Chant said.
“When you do go into cafes, restaurants and other facilities, there is a reason we ask you for those details,” she said.
“Please use correct numbers [and] write legibly because this will be in your best interest.”
The Planet Fitness Gym, which is located hundreds of metres from the pub, has also closed its doors after one of its employees tested positive for the virus.
Anyone who visited the gym on July 9 or 10 has been advised to be tested for coronavirus immediately.
On Sunday, NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian announced travellers returning to the state will be charged for their fortnight hotel quarantine starting next week.
The first adult in each party will be charged $3,000. Additional adults will be billed a further $1,000 and children over three years old $500.
“Cost hasn’t been the main challenge for us, it has been making sure we get the logistics right,” Berejiklian said.
“New South Wales is still processing more than six or seven times what other states are processing and, on that basis, we want to make sure we are putting resources where they are needed.”
The premier said the next four weeks would be critical in the fight to contain COVID-19.
“We have the chance now to really clamp down on community transmission or else unfortunately we’ll go down the track of what Victoria is going through.”