Hunt for patient zero focuses on Belrose Hotel after Sydney firefighter tests positive

A firefighter from Sydney's North Shore was diagnosed with coronavirus yesterday.

The man is one of seven new locally acquired cases — six of which are linked to the Avalon cluster, which is now at 122.

"A number of those cases were found to be positive very late on in the isolation process, day ten or day 11," Premier Gladys Berejkliian told a press conference.

READ MORE: Seven new cases diagnosed in NSW

He had no symptoms, but lives on the Northern Beaches so took a COVID test as a precaution and isolated. After receiving a negative result on December 20, he returned to work at Crows Nest on December 22. He started feeling ill on Christmas, took another test, and received a positive result on Boxing Day.

"When you have one test at one point in time, it just reflects your infectivity at that time," Chief Health Officer Dr Kerry Chant said yesterday.

NSW Fire and Rescue said they were "currently working closely with NSW Health to identify all contacts."

Crows Nest, Beecroft and Dee Why fire stations were all closed for cleaning, and up to 20 of the man's colleagues are now in isolation.

"It is unfortunate that those three stations were offline throughout different stages overnight," the Fire Brigade Employees Union's Leighton Drury told 9News.

"It does put a strain on our already thinly stretched fire service that we do have."

The hunt for patient zero is now focused on the Belrose Hotel on the Northern Beaches, where a worker in his 20s has been identified as one of the earliest cases in the cluster.

He tested positive for coronavirus on December 23, but had been exposed to the virus two or three weeks before and reported having a fever on December 10.

The firefighter visited the Belrose Hotel on December 11, officials said.

He was there for 90 minutes — but the young hotel worker was not working that day.

"What we're looking for is the missing link, who else was present at the Belrose." said Dr Chant.

"We may never find the exact source ... but what's most important is that we're not missing unrecognised chains of transmission in the community."

Authorities are asking anyone who visited the Belrose Hotel on December 11 to get tested — and anyone who visited in the past month who has symptoms must also get a test.

Tens of thousands of people have continued to get tested over the Christmas period.

And in the Northern Beaches area, thousands in are back in lockdown after a Christmas reprieve.

You can get up-to-date information from the Federal Government's Coronavirus Australia app, available on the App Store, Google Play and the Government's WhatsApp channel.

Beyond Blue's Coronavirus Mental Wellbeing Support Service is a 24/7 service free of charge to all Australians. Visit the site here or call 1800 512 348

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