Scott Maggs and Emma Metcalf's wedding was hit with more than 30 cases of coronavirus, the NSW chief health officer confirmed. Photo / Instagram
Scott Maggs and Emma Metcalf's wedding was hit with more than 30 cases of coronavirus, the NSW chief health officer confirmed. Photo / Instagram
Thirty-one people have tested positive for the coronavirus, including a pregnant woman and a liberal Australian senator, after attending a wedding in Stanwell Tops earlier this month.
On Wednesday, NSW chief health officer Dr Kerry Chant revealed there were 31 confirmed cases of the deadly virus among guests who attended the wedding at the Tumbling Waters Retreat on March 6. Twenty-one are NSW residents and five live in other states, she said.
Another four people who did not attend the wedding but are close contacts with attendees have also tested positive.
"NSW Health has worked with other states and territories to notify attendees at a wedding held at Stanwell Tops on March 6 of their potential exposure to COVID-19 and the need to quarantine themselves until March 20," a NSW Health spokesman said.
It is understood the bride and groom are now waiting for their test results after returning from their honeymoon in the Maldives.
Earlier this week, Senator Andrew Bragg took to Twitter to confirm he was a guest at the nuptials for Scott Maggs and Emma Metcalf and had tested positive. News.com.au has contacted him for comment.
I was a guest at a friend’s wedding in Stanwell Tops on 6 March. After satisfying the guidelines of direct exposure and flu symptoms, I have tested positive to Coronavirus.
"My 1yo is showing signs of COVID also and is extremely sick. I am very distressed at the thought of having possibly infected anyone. I have contacted everyone I think I have been in touch with. But please if you have been in contact with me since March 6th or anyone with COVID or you show signs of sickness please self isolate.
"Self isolate anyway. If you've been in touch with a confirmed case and show signs of COVID please do a test immediately. COVID is serious. COVID can be lethal and it is spreading fast. Let's stay calm but please also take isolation seriously and look out for those around us. Sending love to all."
Sonya Keller, the owner of the luxury venue in the Illawarra region of NSW, claims news of the outbreak has "damaged" her business and she's been advised the guests "were not contagious during the time they spent" at the resort.
"Please can you spread the word as you can imagine the damage this has done to our business," she wrote on the Tumbling Waters Retreat's Facebook page.
The couple at the heart of the situation reportedly learnt about the shock situation while on honeymoon in the Maldives.
"We actually got a text, saying: 'We need to fill you in that two people have been confirmed with coronavirus'," Mr Maggs told Yahoo Lifestyle Australia.
Upon their return to Australia the newlyweds discovered there were six confirmed cases among their guests, explaining they were "completely gutted" when they found out.
Their nuptials, which could have had as many as 140 guests, were held before Prime Minister Scott Morrison introduced "social distancing" on Friday to prevent the spread of the virus in Australia. The ban instructs Aussies to avoid "non-essential" social scenarios and events with crowds of more than 500 people.
The Government has since warned the country is in for six months of chaos as the world faces its biggest public health crisis in a generation.
Health authorities say up to 150,000 Australians could die in the worst-case scenario where 60 per cent of the population is infected.
Anzac Day services have been cancelled for the first time in 100 years, joining a growing number of major events falling victim to drastic "social distancing" measures.
There are now 709 confirmed cases of COVID-19 across Australia – 307 in NSW, 150 in Victoria, 144 in Queensland, 42 in South Australia, 52 in Western Australia, 10 in Tasmania, three in the Australian Capital Territory and one in the Northern Territory.
Six people have died – one in WA and five in NSW.
Tumbling Waters Retreat is famous for hosting Natasha and Mikey's wedding on MAFS, long before the coronavirus pandemic swept the globe.
Weddings at the luxury venue, which features stunning coastal views, can cost AU$225 a head for a six-hour ceremony and dinner with beverages.
