Fears Covid could be spreading in Byron Bay as infected man travels to the beach town from Sydney – and fails to check in to a single venue sparking contact tracing nightmare

  • A man in his 50s travelled from Sydney to Byron Bay while infectious 
  • His movements are under investigation after he failed to check in anywhere
  • Covid rules for the Northern Rivers region remain unchanged for now 

By Michael Pickering For Daily Mail Australia

Published: 02:47 BST, 9 August 2021 | Updated: 03:02 BST, 9 August 2021

A man who travelled from Sydney to the Byron Bay area on the state’s far north coast before testing positive was infectious in the community for a number of days.

At NSW’s Covid update on Monday morning, chief health officer Kerry Chant said investigations were ongoing into where the man, who is in his 50s, had been in travelled from Sydney to Byron Bay in late July.

‘He is currently being reinterviewed and we are also arranging urgent testing of his two household contacts,’ she said.

The man’s movements remain mysterious after it was discovered he was not recorded on any QR code check-ins while he was infectious.  

Premier Gladys Berejiklian said Covid restrictions applying to the Northern Rivers region would not change while the man’s journey was being investigated.

Premier Gladys Berejiklian said Covid restrictions applying to the Northern Rivers region would not change while the man's journey was under investigation

Premier Gladys Berejiklian said Covid restrictions applying to the Northern Rivers region would not change while the man’s journey was under investigation

The man in his 50s travelled from Sydney to Byron Bay in late July and was believed to be infectious in the community for five days

The man in his 50s travelled from Sydney to Byron Bay in late July and was believed to be infectious in the community for five days

The man in his 50s travelled from Sydney to Byron Bay in late July and was believed to be infectious in the community for five days

Dr Chant urged residents in the Byron Shire, Richmond Valley, Tweed, Lismore, Kyogle and Ballina LGAs to come forward for testing if they experienced symptoms because the man was symptomatic in the community for a number of days. 

He travelled from Sydney at the end of July and spent five days in the community before being admitted to hospital in Lismore.

Earlier, Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk responded to news of the case by suggesting the state may ‘go harder’ in enforcing border restrictions with NSW.

‘We are absolutely concerned about what is happening in New South Wales,’ she said.

‘The further north the virus travels is alarming for us so we’ll be watching that incredibly carefully.’

‘We already have those border patrols and those border controls in place at present. But if we have to go harder, we will.’

The Byron Bay alert came as another regional NSW town, Tamworth, was plunged into a seven-day lockdown after a woman, who was exposed to the virus in Newcastle, visited several venues including a pub, cafe and hotel on August 4.

Premier Gladys Berejiklian announced the lockdown would begin from 5pm Monday. 

NSW announced 283 new Covid-19 cases and one death on Monday, an unvaccinated woman in her 90s who died from the virus at Greenwich Hospital on Sunday.

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