Sydney, Australia:
New South Wales on Thursday ended its 25 day streak of zero new Covid-19 cases within the community after a staffer working at a hotel quarantine facililty for overseas returnees tested positive for Covid-19.
The staffer, a woman from Sydney’s south-west worked at Novotel and Ibis Hotels in Darling Harbour. Five household contacts of the woman have been urgently tested, and all returned negative results.
Urgent contact tracing of close contacts of the case are also underway. NSW Health has said “The source of the case notified late last night is under investigation. Urgent genome sequencing is underway to determine whether this is an infection acquired in the community or through work at the hotel quarantine facility. These results are expected in the next 24 to 48 hours.”
Meanwhile, NSW Health has released the case’s travel history, and has urged all people who may have been on the same train or light rail to get themselves tested urgently, and to self isolate.
Light Rail:
• Friday 27 November Convention to Central at 4:01pm – 4.11pm
• Saturday 28 November Convention to Central at 3:14pm – 3.29pm
• Sunday 29 November Convention to Capitol Square 3:58pm – 4.09pm
• Sunday 29 November Capitol Square to Central 4.55pm – 5.03pm
• Monday 30 November Central to Convention 06:39am – 6.54am
• Monday 30 November Convention to Central 3.10pm – 3.26pm
Train:
• Friday 27 November Minto to Lidcombe 04:55am – 5:52am
• Friday 27 November Central to Lidcombe 4.12pm – 4.49pm
• Saturday 28 November Central to Lidcombe 3.31pm – 4.32pm
• Sunday 29 November Central to Lidcombe 5.05pm – 5.44pm
• Monday 30 November Lidcombe to Central 06:14am – 06:37am
• Monday 30 November Central to Minto 3.28pm – 4.20pm
The new case has been identified a day after NSW announced major easing of Covid-19 restrictions across the state – to be in effect from Monday, 7th December, 2020.
NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian says the easing of restrictions on Monday will go still go ahead, but also added that she would not hesitate to act if the advice of health officials changed.
