New South Wales has reported three new cases of Covid-19, prompting fears of a fresh outbreak after weeks with no community transmission of the virus.
In an alert issued on Wednesday evening, NSW Health said two new cases – a woman in her 6os and a man in his 70s – lived on Sydney’s northern beaches and that no link to other cases had yet been identified.
The announcement came after the state recorded its first new Covid-19 case in weeks when a 45-year-old man from south-west Sydney returned a positive test on Wednesday morning. He worked as a van driver shuttling airline crew between Sydney airport and their accommodation.
The northern beaches cases are linked and NSW Health said the pair visited a number of venues while infectious. Contact tracing and urgent genome sequencing were underway and results were expected in 24 to 48 hours, NSW Health said.
The health department said anyone who attended the following venues were considered close contacts and should get tested and isolate for 14 days even if they received a negative result:
Palm Beach female change rooms – Sunday 13 December 9-9.15am
Coast Palm Beach Café at Palm Beach – Sunday 13 December 10-11am
Avalon Bowlo (bowling club) at Avalon Beach – Sunday 13 December and Tuesday 15 December 3-5pm
Sneaky Grind Café at Avalon Beach – Monday 14 December 9.30-11am
Hungry Ghost Café at Avalon – Sunday 13 December 9.30am-11am and Tuesday 15 December 9.30-11am
Barramee Thai Massage and Spa at Avalon Beach – Monday 14 December 2-3.30pm
Bangkok Sidewalk Restaurant at Avalon Beach – Monday 14 December 7-8pm
People who had visited the following venues should get tested and isolate until they received a negative result:
Woolworths at Avalon Beach – Sunday 13 December 12-5pm and Tuesday, 15 December, 12-12.30pm
Oliver’s Pie at Careel Shopping Village at Avalon Beach – Monday 14 December 9‑9.15am
Bing Lee Gateway at Mona Vale – Monday 14 December 4.30‑4.45pm
Authorities earlier warned that the van driver had attended a children’s football match – the Forest Rangers FC Little Rangers session at Gannons Park – in Peakhurst on Friday 11 December between 4.30-5.30pm.
Anyone who attended is considered a casual contact and NSW Health urged all adults to get tested immediately and isolate until they receive a negative result. Children who attended should be monitored for symptoms and get tested if any occur.
The state’s health minister, Brad Hazzard, said the 45-year-old had symptoms on Saturday, was tested on Tuesday and returned a positive result on Wednesday.
“Obviously, there will be more work to do, this is very preliminary advice to the community on the basis that NSW Health and the government has always shared all information about communities as soon as possible,” he said.
“This gentleman drives vans, carrying international and other aircrew back and forth to the airport … the virus seemed to be contained in terms of community transmission.”
As the case was discovered after 8pm on Tuesday, it will be counted in Thursday’s numbers, ending the state’s multi-week Covid-free streak.
Hazzard said on Wednesday afternoon that the man’s close contacts – his wife and two children - had tested negative for coronavirus.
“So that indicates some really positive aspects,” the minister told 2GB radio before the northern beaches cases were revealed. “There’s a good chance he probably did pick it up from one of the aircrew members. If that’s the case, well, that’s particularly positive because it means there’s no local transmission on the normal assessment.”
The chief health officer, Dr Kerry Chant, said the man was wearing a mask and following Covid-19 safety precautions while driving, but he worked several shifts between experiencing some symptoms on Saturday and seeking testing on Tuesday.
Genomic testing is now being carried out to identify which country the virus originated from and therefore shed light on whether a crew member from an airline is currently infectious. The analysis may take several days.
“That will confirm with us an understanding how recent the infection is,” Chant said.
“We do keep an open mind, while we have a plausible hypothesis that this transmission may have originated from contact with international flight crew.”
This case has raised questions around the need for quarantining of international airline crews, who were also linked to the state’s last locally acquired Covid case – a hotel quarantine cleaner who was diagnosed on 3 December.
Hazzard said this would now be a key area of discussion at national cabinet.
“I had a discussion along with senior health officials and a number of international airline representatives. We canvassed with them the fact that NSW Health and the government health [department] were very concerned about the possibility of the virus coming in with international aircrew,” he said.
“You remember we had the 66-year-old lady in the Ibis hotel two weeks ago. That would appear on the basis of genomic sequencing to have most likely been connected with a US air crew, as the sequencing showed top matches across the world were actually from the US. We were discussing what further steps we could take.”
Guardian Australia contacted the major international airlines – including Qantas, Qatar and Emirates – to ask about discussions with Australian state and territory governments about any changes to quarantine procedures under consideration after Hazzard flagged plans to test airline staff and passengers.
Hazzard told the Sydney Morning Herald on Monday: “We’re exploring whether airlines are able to test passengers and airline staff before they board an international flight, as well as whether it’s viable to then test them again upon arrival in Australia.
“We need international freight and passenger flights to continue to come to NSW. We all know the challenges we face, the question is how to make it safer.”
But a Qantas spokesman said: “It’s a bit too early for us to be commenting on this as it seems the policy is still being worked through and what it would look like in practice.”
Emirates and Qatar are yet to respond. The Flight Attendants’ Association of Australia told Guardian Australia the union had not been invited to be a part of any of those discussions.
The van driver worked for Sydney Ground Transport, and Chant confirmed the man’s “sole responsibility” was transporting airline crews.
“We will be looking at the trips that he has undergone, the people he has escorted, between the airport and the hotels,” she said. “But again, his contact in those settings was to basically help people out with their baggage.”
An open letter sent by medical professionals to state and federal health departments on Wednesday called for rapid Covid tests to urgently be deployed at airports and quarantine facilities. These tests could be performed more frequently, the letter states. The signatories include epidemiology professor Mary-Louise McLaws and the former head of the World Health Organisation emergency medical team initiative, Dr Ian Norton.
“It is now time for federal and state health authorities to urgently assess and adopt a broader range of Covid-19 testing that now needs to include rapid antigen testing on a daily or near-daily basis for those at highest risk,” they wrote.
“This could not only facilitate a reduction in the mandatory 14-day quarantine period for returning Australians but also be far more effective in preventing workers in the quarantine facilities from transmitting the virus to their families – and thus the broader community. There is enough evidence available now to support repeat, rapid antigen testing as a screening test in certain settings.”
A Victorian government spokeswoman said the state recently raised the issue of pre-flight testing for anyone entering Australia with the commonwealth and at national cabinet.
“We will continue to advocate for all jurisdictions to support this additional safety measure to ensure everything that can be done to lower the risk of coronavirus re-entering Australia is done,” she said.
