The limo driver at the centre of Australia’s biggest coronavirus outbreak has been broken his silence about the saga after he was busted not wearing a mask earlier this week.
Michael Podgoetsky was slapped with a $500 public infringement notice while sitting on a bus stop bench near his home in Sydney’s eastern suburbs on Tuesday, despite claiming he had sat down because his head was spinning after his glasses fogged up.
The 63-year-old is thought to be patient zero for the disastrous Bondi cluster which has spread throughout the state, claiming the lives of 100 people and infecting 21,208.
Now approaching its 11th week, the outbreak sparked the brutal lockdown which has since spread all across New South Wales, leaving millions confined to their homes and kids shut out of school.
Almost three months on, Mr Podgoetsky is still convinced he caught the virus from Belle Cafe in Vaucluse as he and his wife opened up about the devastating toll the public attention has had of them.
Michael Podgoetsky (pictured) is still struggling from the fallout of being at the centre of the the current Sydney outbreak
‘I think the Covid-19 disease was all around and it was from young people (and transmitted) to old people like me, who picks it up and suffers consequences,’ Mr Podgoetsky told The Australian.
He and his wife Eliana claim they’ve been inundated with deaths threats and alleged they received threatening messages from a drug addict who lived next door.
‘He has become a different man now because he thinks about it all the time. He can’t sleep at night, and I’m just afraid about his mental health,’ Mrs Podgoetsky said.
She also has trouble sleeping and is too scared to leave the house, fearing she’ll cop abuse or be bashed.
Mr Podgoetsky acknowledged being caught without wearing a mask isn’t a good look but claimed he sat down after his glasses fogged up while he was on his phone ordering an Uber to pick up his hire car.
‘When the glasses fog up, I’ve got the head-spinning. So I thought I’d better take this off and sit down for get some fresh air,’ he told the publication.
The limo driver was issued with a $500 public infringement notice for not wearing a mask while sitting on a bench near his home in Bondi (pictured police patrolling Bondi Beach
The limo driver tested positive for the Delta strain on June 15 and maintains he did nothing wrong.
However health officials consider him the ‘index case’ and suggest he caught the virus ferrying international Fed Ex air staff to hotel quarantine on June 11 before unknowingly spreading it to his wife and several others.
At the time of the ill-fated trip he was not legally required to be vaccinated or wear a mask, despite his high-risk job.
The Gladys Berejiklian government was reportedly warned the potential biosecurity risks associated with transport workers but did not act until it was too late.
The NSW Government has since enacted a policy in response to him triggering the outbreak which requires anyone working with quarantined or international arrivals to be vaccinated and wear face coverings.
The unnamed driver (pictured) isolated at home for 14 days as he fights his Covid infection. Was too scared of public backlash to show his face on TV
Mr Podgoetsky stated that he was wearing a face mask at all times while driving.
‘Around 3pm today (Tuesday 31 August 2021) officers from Eastern Suburbs Police Area Command received information relating to a breach of the COVID-19 public health orders by a 63-year-old Bondi man,’ police said in a statement.
‘The man has now been issued with a $500 PIN for not wear fitted face covering at public transport waiting area.’
Mr Podgoetsky told the Daily Telegraph he’s tired of being connected to the devastating outbreak.
‘I don’t want to be associated with this. I got this stupid disease from somewhere, I don’t know where,’ he said.
Health officials consider Mr Podgoetsky the ‘index case’ of the Delta outbreak and suggest he caught the virus ferrying international Fed Ex air staff to hotel quarantine on June 11 before unknowingly spreading it to his wife and several others (pictured, travellers at Sydney Airport)
‘It’s terrible what’s happening to the country… I followed all the rules,’ he said.
He has since returned to work and has been vaccinated against the virus receiving both Pfizer jabs after initially refusing the AstraZeneca dose due to a family history of blood clots.
He claimed he tried to get Pfizer appointments in May but was told by NSW Health that no appointments were available.
He believes flight crew drivers should have been given priority for the jab.
‘It’s unfair that people have blamed me for Delta. I got it from somebody,’ Mr Podgoetsky
‘I’ve got a drug addict… living (near) me who’s threatening me. It’s terrible what’s happening in the country.’
Michael Podgoetsky was hit with the Penalty Infringement Notice on Tuesday at about 3pm while sitting on a bus stop bench near his home in Sydney’s eastern suburbs (pictured, police patrol the eastern suburbs of Sydney)