Sydney’s plan to host this year’s Melbourne Cup has taken a solid hit, with the city now struggling to contain various COVID-19 infections spreading across the community.
Not surprisingly, these infections appear to have been imported from Victoria:
A coronavirus cluster at a south-western Sydney pub has been genomically linked to Melbourne cases, putting NSW on high alert for a similar large-scale outbreak.
As the Crossroads Hotel outbreak in Casula grew to at least 30 cases on Tuesday, genomic testing conducted by NSW Health revealed a Blue Mountains resident who dined at the venue on July 3 is linked to the Victorian outbreak. NSW closed the border with Victoria on July 8.
Cases from the Crossroads outbreak have continued to spread to other businesses in the area, with the Kmart in Casula Mall forced to close after a worker tested positive, while two further cases linked to the Planet Fitness gym in Casula were also confirmed. A residential aged care home, Prestons Lodge, was also placed in lockdown as a precaution after a person visited a relative while infectious…
Laboratory results indicate four cases detected this month in NSW are part of a genomic cluster linked to Victorian cases. In addition to the Blue Mountains case, the cases include a man who drove with his caravan from Melbourne to south-east Sydney on July 7, an Albury woman who had travelled to Melbourne and a close family contact of hers.
Other cases linked to the Crossroads Hotel outbreak are still being genomically sequenced.
Associate Professor Adam Kamradt-Scott, an expert in the spread and control of infectious diseases at the University of Sydney, said it was no surprise there were cases linked to Victoria being detected in NSW…
The spread of the virus at the Crossroads Hotel is unsurprising given it is located on the Hume Hwy and is a popular stopping point for interstate travelers, including truckers.
Sadly, the Victorian Government’s failed hotel quarantine program, which is behind the outbreak across Melbourne, has now placed the entire eastern seaboard at risk.
Like a wave, COVID-19 is rippling north. The next domino to fall is NSW and then possibly Queensland.
