Premier Gladys Berejiklian has moved to address complacency towards coronavirus in Sydney, telling businesses they face significant penalties and harsher rules if restaurants and cafes continue to flout COVID-19 protocols.
The warning came as NSW recorded eight new locally acquired cases on Thursday in two separate clusters – the highest number in the past three weeks. It also emerged that mask use by passengers on Sydney's public transport network was going backwards.
NSW Premier Gladys Berejikilian has warned that complacency is creeping into Sydney. Credit:Kate Geraghty
Ms Berejiklian said the government would consider the compulsory use of Service NSW's QR sign-in code in all venues after a positive case visited a restaurant which did not collect details of all diners.
The Premier said her patience was wearing thin after it emerged NSW Health was struggling to contact all the patrons who dined at the popular restaurant Ripples in Milson's Point when a confirmed case attended the venue on the night of October 3.
"Can I make it very clear that if any business has found to have been negligent in their responsibilities or fail to have a COVID safe plan, the full force of the law will come down on them," Ms Berejiklian said.
Ms Berejiklian said she has received advice from health authorities that some businesses were not properly implementing their COVID-safe plans.
"Everybody has had ample notice to register to get information with those COVID safe plans in place, and when organisations go beyond complacency and don't fulfil those obligations, well, they let everybody down," she said.
New alerts issued for multiple venues, transport routes
NSW recorded 12 cases to 8pm on Wednesday. Four of those cases were in return overseas travellers, and three of the local cases had been reported by media on Wednesday.
The eight new locally acquired cases from two separate clusters. Five have been linked to a known cluster, and the remaining three were linked to each other.
NSW Health has not ruled out the possibility of linking all eight cases to the one cluster. The smaller cluster included two private healthcare workers who work in a Liverpool clinic, and a household contact of one of those workers.
One of the new cases was in a student who recently attended the Macquarie University campus in Sydney's north-west.
NSW Health has advised anyone who attended the following venues to monitor for symptoms and get tested immediately if they develop.
- Macquarie University Sports and Aquatic Centre outdoor pool area on Wednesday October 7 from 5.30am to 10.30am
- Surf Dive 'n' Ski at Castle Towers on Monday October 5 from 12pm to 5pm
- Chemist Warehouse Epping on Tuesday October 6 from 10.30am to 11am
On Thursday evening, NSW Health advised that anyone who was at Monopole Restaurant, Potts Point from 6 to 8pm on the evening of Sunday October 4 should monitor for symptoms, as NSW Health say they will contact close and casual contacts directly. They also outlined a number of public transport services:
- Train from Parramatta at 14:41 arriving Town Hall 15:31 on 4th October
- Train from Town Hall at 17:29 arriving Kings Cross 17:50 on 4th October
- Train from Artarmon at 23:18 arriving Central 23:48 on 5th October
- Bus replacement from Central at 23:48 arriving Strathfield 00:15 on 5th October
- Train from Strathfield at 00:15 arriving Parramatta 00:45 on 5th October
- Bus 550 from Epping Station, Beecroft Rd, Stand D at 17:08 to Smith St after Phillip St, Parramatta 17:41 on 6th October
- Train from Moss Vale 04:52 arriving Liverpool 07:09 on 6th October
- Train from Liverpool 16:58 arriving Moss Vale 19:12 on 6th October
- Train from Moss Vale 04:51 arriving Liverpool 07:08 on 7th October
- Train from Campbelltown 13:31 arriving Moss Vale 15:50 on 7th October
Virus 'as deadly now as it ever was'
Transport Minister Andrew Constance said mask use on the public transport network was in decline as complacency creeps across the city.
As workers begin returning to the CBD, Mr Constance said it was important commuters wore masks as Sydney recorded new community transmitted coronavirus cases.
“I think it's only natural that, with the warmer weather, with people looking to get out and about a bit more, that complacency creeps in and we can’t afford it. It’s as deadly now as it ever was,” Mr Constance said.
He said the government was considering whether it could increase services in a bid to maintain social distancing on the network.
Mask use on Sydney's public transport is starting to go backwards. Credit:Kate Geraghty
"We know we’re going to see more people coming into town, we are looking at what we can do in terms of summer services to increase the frequency of services," he said.
"There’s a need to get people back into the city, town is very quiet, we’ve got to get strong economically again."
NSW Health Minister Brad Hazzard said cafes and restaurants needed to be more vigilant if they wanted to remain open during the ongoing pandemic.
The government is prepared to crack down on venues not forcing customers to sign in. Credit:Getty Images
"Can I ask all restaurants and cafe owners to really step it up, it's time to get serious," he said.
"We have talked about complacency and I will add apathy to that. I think it is time businesses were taking it far more seriously than they are.
"If we think back to where most of the cases have been over the last few months, it has been in venues where people have been out enjoying themselves, pubs and restaurants and so on."
Mr Hazzard said if businesses wanted to remain open, they would be "well served to make sure someone greets the people as they come to the door and make sure they use the hand hygiene before they walk in and make sure they do the QR code".
"In my normal life, I am pro-supportive business, but as Health Minister I am pro-supportive keeping people safe and I think the businesses need to remember there was a period not that long ago when they were closed," Mr Hazzard said.
Alexandra Smith is the State Political Editor of The Sydney Morning Herald.
Tom Rabe is Transport Reporter with The Sydney Morning Herald.
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2020-10-08 13:00:00Z
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