Australian couple hit back at vile trolls who smashed them with a barrage of abuse after their Thai restaurant in Sydney was hit by a fresh coronavirus outbreak
- David and Stephanie Boyd own Thai Rock restaurant, which has 37 linked cases
- One of their workers tested positive for COVID-19, forcing them to close down
- The restaurant’s Facebook page was inundated with abuse since the positive test
- Radio shock jock Ray Hadley has also made accusations against the restaurant
- Mr and Mrs Boyd said people need to unite against ‘fear and misunderstanding’
The Australian couple who own Thai Rock restaurant, which has a cluster of 37 coronavirus cases, have hit back at vile trolls abusing them online.
Restaurant owners David and Stephanie Boyd called for people to ‘remain together’ against ‘fear and misunderstanding’ after their staff were abused online.
The couple and their workers haves been inundated with abuse since one of their workers tested positive for coronavirus on Friday.
The employee did not know he was infected when he worked five shifts at the restaurant at Stockland Mall in Wetherill Park in Sydney’s west between July 9 and July 14.
Radio ‘shock jock’ Ray Hadley accused the restaurant of allegedly defying health instructions on Monday, sparking further abuse against the owners.
David (right) and Stephanie Boyd (left) own the Thai Rock restaurant in Wetherhill Park, which has a COVID-19 cluster of 37 cases. They hit back at vile online trolls on their restaurant Facebook page on Tuesday
The Boyds called for unity and understanding on Tuesday.
‘We recognise there is fear and misunderstanding however we believe that sense and truth will prevail,’ the couple wrote on the Thai Rock Facebook page.
‘We need to remain TOGETHER with everyone at this time to overcome the impact of this pandemic on our society. Stay safe and well.’
The couple were responding to a comment from a Thai woman who said Asian businesses are being targeted during the COVID-19 pandemic.
‘Some people just keep ranting to you guys while the virus isn’t your fault at all,’ the woman wrote.
‘It seems like they are targeting Asian business, including one with ‘white’ owners such as you guys. It is such a shame of behaviour like this during this hardest time.’
Mr and Mrs Boyd during a trip to Thailand. They called for people to ‘remain together’ against ‘fear and misunderstanding’ on Tuesday after being inundated with abusive comments
Thai Rock revealed all of their remaining Wetherill Park staff, both Front of House and Kitchen, returned negative results on Monday. The infected worker is still recovering.
The restaurant’s Facebook comment section is filled with false accusations that the venue did not practice social distancing and that staff are not self isolating.
One person also posted a link to Ray Hadley’s accusations against the restaurant.
‘The allegations I’ve received are principles involved in the restaurant who were then told to go into self quarantine didn’t deserve that direction,’ Hadley said on Monday.
‘And I’m told one of them, possibly two, has diagnosed positive for COVID-19.’
But the restaurant posted a picture of all seven of their front of house staff members ‘staying safe’ by self isolating at home later on Monday.
The Australian Taxpayers’ Alliance came out in support of Thai Rock on Wednesday.
The Thai Rock restaurant in Stockland Mall. There were 11 new cases linked to the restaurant cluster on Wednesday and 16 total in NSW
‘The owners and employees of Thai Rock have gone above and beyond to stop the spread of COVID-19 and yet, many thoughtlessly blame them for the spread of a virus we all know to be highly contagious,’ ATA Director Policy Emilie Dye said.
‘COVID-19 has disrupted everyone’s life and we all want a scapegoat. But now is not the time to cast blame, especially on family-owned businesses. Don’t bankrupt the hands that feed us.’
Fairfield Mayor Frank Carbone also voiced his support for the restaurant on Saturday.
‘When the virus came in from Victoria, Thai Rock were one of the business that unfortunately got caught up, like the Planet Gym and the Crossroads Hotel,’ he wrote on Facebook.
‘Its easy to blame, but it could have been any business and any family or anyone of us that got hit by the virus from the Crossroads.’
NSW recorded 16 cases on Wednesday, 11 of which linked to Thai Rock cluster – this marks seven consecutive days of double-digit daily infections in the state.
The recent community transmission in the state have been traced back to Victoria, where figures have skyrocketed to a record-breaking 484 cases on Wednesday.
Pictured: A map showing coronavirus cases recorded since July 1. South-west Sydney has been hit the hardest, with 11 cases in the Liverpool local government area. The postcodes seen in the lightest shade of red have recorded one case in the past three weeks