Melbourne freight worker identified as ‘patient zero’ of coronavirus outbreak linked to Sydney pub cluster

NSW Health has confirmed the “patient zero” of an outbreak linked to Sydney pub was a Melbourne freight company employee who attended the Crossroads Hotel on July 3 for a work party.

Six of his colleagues have since caught COVID-19. The man entered NSW on June 30, before its border with Victoria closed.

It comes as NSW has been warned to “fully expect” COVID-19 clusters to pop up because of the “stealthy” nature of the virus as the number of cases linked to a south west Sydney pub continues to grow.

NSW chief health officer Dr Kerry Chant on Wednesday said there were 34 cases linked to the Crossroads Hotel in Casula, with at least 20 of them patrons.

Two of the 34 cases to date are “tertiary” cases, or contacts of contacts.

Dr Chant said this highlights how rapidly coronavirus can spread, describing it as a “stealthy” virus

NSW Health Minister Brad Hazzard told residents not to expect the state to frequently have zero COVID-19 cases as the virus can bubble away under the surface for some time.

“This virus will continue to transmit lowly through the community and from time to time we can fully expect (this),” he told reporters.

NSW Health has also named several venues where confirmed COVID-19 cases spent time including the YMCA at Revesby, Wests Leagues Club at Leumeah, Macarthur Tavern in Campbelltown and Casula Kmart.

The Milky Lane burger joint in Parramatta and the Bavarian Macarthur restaurant in Campbelltown were later added to the list as well as Woolworths in Bowral.

The state reported 13 new COVID-19 cases in the 24 hours to 8pm on Tuesday, with only three of them unconnected to the hotel.

Queensland moves to imprison virus rule breakers

Queensland will move to imprison anyone caught breaking rules to prevent COVID-19 flare-ups as new cases surge in Victoria.

Terms of up to six months behind bars will be introduced to state parliament on Thursday under a legislative amendment designed to act as a deterrent.

Fines for individuals have not been enough to stop them from testing the public health directions issued by chief health officer Dr Jeannette Young.

Results for a group of 19 people who were tested after attending the Crossroads Hotels in southwestern Sydney have all come back negative for the virus.

The cities of Campbelltown and Liverpool have now been added to Queensland’s list of hotspots, along with Victoria where hundreds of new cases are being confirmed each day.

Queensland Council for Civil Liberties has called on the government to release the draft bill and allow it to be debated publicly before it is presented to the house.

QCLC vice-president Terry Gorman wrote to the health minister on Wednesday requesting the government consult the Queensland Law Society or the Bar Association first.

“The proposed further COVID-19 legislation containing prison terms of up to 6 months represents a significant increase in penalties and in that regard the proposed legislation should have been the subject of public consultation,” he wrote.

“There has been no consultation with this Council and so far as I am aware no consultation with other stakeholders such as the Queensland Law Society or the Bar Association.”

Victorians don masks to halt virus spread

Face masks look set to become the norm in Victoria amid fears of tighter restrictions and warnings of further coronavirus deaths.

Another life was lost in the state on Wednesday while 238 new cases were recorded, making it the 10th day in a row the state has recorded a triple-digit increase.

Victoria’s Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton said this trend will continue, claiming two or three deaths could happen in a week when numbers of new cases are so high.

There are 1931 active cases in Victoria, with a total of 4448 cases since the pandemic began.

Professor Sutton said the task of reducing community transmission won’t be easy, noting that making masks mandatory was an option.

Last Friday, health authorities in Victoria encouraged people in locked-down metropolitan Melbourne and the Mitchell Shire to wear face masks when social distancing wasn’t possible.

Since then, mandatory use of face masks was imposed on health workers at aged care facilities and home care providers across Victoria’s locked-down areas.

Victoria Police on Wednesday recommended its officers wear masks within their stations, including where no contact with the public occurs.

Victorians will also be expected to wear masks in the state’s courts, where disposable masks will be available at entrances before security checks.

In spite of the stern messages sent out by different authorities, some Victorians are still not heeding the warnings.

There have been 546 fines issued since the stay-at-home directives were reintroduced throughout metropolitan Melbourne and Mitchell Shire.

Some of the fines issued include a party of 34 people at a short-term rental in Docklands, two men playing Pokemon Go and a man refusing to leave a KFC restaurant.