A mother of two who was working in the unit block in Bondi when it went into lockdown on Monday has now become trapped, and is now required to complete the 14-day quarantine with the block’s residents despite not residing there herself.
Per the Daily Mail, the woman – who cares for an elderly couple that reside in the Botany Street block of units – had shown up to work on Monday, and when she finished up for the day she discovered police had taped off the building, and was told she could not leave the premises.
Nine people across five apartments had contracted COVID-19, and the whole block was sent into a 14-day quarantine with mandatory tests on Saturday, July 17 (day 7) and Thursday, July 22 (day 12).
Interestingly, News.com.au interviewed two of the building’s young white residents for an article today, while this mother-of-two, who happens to be Filipino, was just a passing mention in a Daily Mail article about the apartment block.
The mum of two is now stuck living with the couple she provides care for until she’s allowed to return home to her family. Despite being caught in a truly cooked scenario, separated from family and doing quarantine in a home that isn’t her own (with her two bosses, if you think about it), the woman told the Daily Mail she thinks the whole-block lockdown is necessary.
“Not everyone is happy about it,” she said.
“But I think it’s necessary. One case in the building is one too many, but it’s day three. We’re going a bit crazy.”
She also conceded that the heavy police presence outside the Bondi block is “a confronting sight”.
NSW Chief Health Officer Dr Kerry Chant stressed that anyone who is a close contact of anybody residing in the Botany St block must also get tested and quarantine for 14 days.
Masks are also now required in any indoor common areas of apartment blocks in the wider Greater Sydney region, and social gatherings of residents within blocks are strongly discouraged.
The Greater Sydney lockdown was also extended for at least another two weeks by the NSW Government on Wednesday morning, and it’s unclear whether the Bondi block will have to maintain its strict quarantine for any longer than the predicted 14 days.
