A Sydney Airport ground transport worker has tested positive for COVID-19, marking the first community case of the virus in NSW since 3 December.
The worker is a 45-year-old man who works for Sydney Ground Transport, Alexandria, which provides transport for aircrew from the airport to their hotel.
NSW Health said in a Facebook post that the cause of the case remains under investigation and that urgent genome sequencing, as well as testing of close contacts of the man, was underway.
Sydney Ground Transport, Alexandria has temporarily ceased operations while investigations and cleaning are underway.
The man first developed symptoms on Saturday and was tested for COVID-19 late on Tuesday night, according to SBS.
“Our preliminary information is that we will be looking at the trips that he has undergone, the people he has escorted, between the airport and the hotels,” the state’s chief health officer Kerry Chant said at a press conference.
“His contact in those settings was to basically help people out with their baggage and help them exit a minivan or buses.”
According to NSW Health, flight crew members who have been in a country other than Australia in the 14 days before arrival must undertake a mandatory quarantine period in a quarantine or medical facility, but may instead quarantine in their homes or accommodation under certain circumstances.
NSW Health Minister Brad Hazzard said international aircrews arriving in NSW would likely be required to quarantine in line with other arrivals.
He said discussions with international airlines would be taking place in the next 24 to 48 hours.
“You can’t expect in a COVID world pandemic that we won’t from time to time have a case. It will happen,” he said.
On Monday, Hazzard told The Sydney Morning Herald that NSW Health officials have begun discussions with international airlines on whether it’s possible to test passengers and airline staff before their board an international flight and again upon arrival in Australia.
“We might have to look at determining the most high-risk countries and which countries have tests we can rely on by developing a system that recognises the relative risk on a number of criteria,” he said.
“Whatever we come up with in NSW by working with international airlines, we then need to see if it can be adopted in other states and territories so there’s consistency across Australia.”
Featured image source: Facebook/NSW Health
