A photo of a tightly packed queue outside a Sydney pub has raised concerns over a possible second wave in New South Wales.
The picture, posted to social media site Reddit, was taken outside the Golden Sheaf at Double Bay at 9pm on Wednesday.
“How many days until Sydney is in lockdown?” the user wrote.
But it isn’t an isolated case. On Thursday night, XXX
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In NSW, hotels and pubs are allowed to operate under the one person per four-square-metres rule, with no limit on the number of patrons.
Nightclubs, however, remain shut.
As Melbourne endures a six-week lockdown and NSW police block Victorians from crossing the border, there are fears similar outbreaks could happen in other states or territories.
And some infectious diseases experts have tipped NSW to be next.
More people, more problems
Crowds of people standing close together is a recipe for disaster in the era of COVID-19.
“We all understand how the virus spreads,” said Chris Burrell, Emeritus Professor of virology at the University of Adelaide.
“If someone is sneezing, talking and coughing and you’re breathing that same air for a couple of hours, the total exposure could be a lot more than a single touch to (an infected) door handle.”
Speaking to The New Daily from Sydney, where he had just arrived from Adelaide, Professor Burrell said he had “really noticed the lack of awareness in quite a lot of public spaces”.
“The Melbourne story is a bit of a flag that we should be taking social distancing measures more seriously and more thoroughly,” he said.
“We’ve got to have the rules and the fines, but we also have to make sure people understand why they’re doing it and then they’ll be more much likely to co-operate.”
Crackdown on crowd control
In a statement to The New Daily, the Golden Sheaf rejected claims it was offering cheap drink deals on Wednesday night, saying it took “the safety of our guests and staff very safely”.
“We employ management and security staff to monitor queues constantly,” CEO Justine Baker said.
“At the Golden Sheaf last night, we worked immediately with police to disperse the crowd and ensure social distancing measures were established.”
From now on, the popular bar will be taking bookings only on Wednesday from 8pm, and will be employing extra staff and security to crack down on patrons breaching social distancing rules.
