A Manly resident wasn’t feeling up to a trip to the Avalon Bowlo to join his friends on Sunday, so he cancelled his plans last minute. Now six out of seven of his mates have tested positive to COVID-19, he says, including a member of the band that performed on the day.
“They were all just there to support a great local band. Because someone has decided they are too busy and important to isolate, all my friends are now sick.
“Thankfully no one is in hospital, which is good news so far,” he told Manly Observer this afternoon.
The man, who asked not to identified but whose details are known to us, said none of his friends had been to the nearby RSL nor travelled from the US recently. It is most likely these cases are already included in the case number count (28) provided to us by NSW Health.
“I’m just asking everyone on the Northern Beaches, please, please, stay home and particularly if you have any reason to have a test, don’t go anywhere til you know the results. My friends are thankfully pretty fit and well, but you just don’t know. Your actions could kill someone and destroy our beautiful community.”
Meanwhile, residents from across the district are doing the right thing and taking themselves in for testing if they have been at the nominated venues or have mild symptoms.
For many, this has involved waits exceeding five hours. Manly ward councillor Sarah Grattan reports she is just about to receive her test after waiting at the Old Manly Hospital site in her car for the last six hours. We are not yet aware how logistics work on these site for those requiring amenities.
The Northern Beaches has just been declared a national hot spot. See our rolling coverage for the latest updates.