NZ Herald
  • Home
  • Latest news
  • Herald NOW
  • Video
  • New Zealand
  • Sport
  • World
  • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Podcasts
  • Quizzes
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Viva
  • Weather

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • New Zealand
    • All New Zealand
    • Crime
    • Politics
    • Education
    • Open Justice
    • Scam Update
  • Herald NOW
  • On The Up
  • World
    • All World
    • Australia
    • Asia
    • UK
    • United States
    • Middle East
    • Europe
    • Pacific
  • Business
    • All Business
    • MarketsSharesCurrencyCommoditiesStock TakesCrypto
    • Markets with Madison
    • Media Insider
    • Business analysis
    • Personal financeKiwiSaverInterest ratesTaxInvestment
    • EconomyInflationGDPOfficial cash rateEmployment
    • Small business
    • Business reportsMood of the BoardroomProject AucklandSustainable business and financeCapital markets reportAgribusiness reportInfrastructure reportDynamic business
    • Deloitte Top 200 Awards
    • CompaniesAged CareAgribusinessAirlinesBanking and financeConstructionEnergyFreight and logisticsHealthcareManufacturingMedia and MarketingRetailTelecommunicationsTourism
  • Opinion
    • All Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Editorials
    • Business analysis
    • Premium opinion
    • Letters to the editor
  • Politics
  • Sport
    • All Sport
    • OlympicsParalympics
    • RugbySuper RugbyNPCAll BlacksBlack FernsRugby sevensSchool rugby
    • CricketBlack CapsWhite Ferns
    • Racing
    • NetballSilver Ferns
    • LeagueWarriorsNRL
    • FootballWellington PhoenixAuckland FCAll WhitesFootball FernsEnglish Premier League
    • GolfNZ Open
    • MotorsportFormula 1
    • Boxing
    • UFC
    • BasketballNBABreakersTall BlacksTall Ferns
    • Tennis
    • Cycling
    • Athletics
    • SailingAmerica's CupSailGP
    • Rowing
  • Lifestyle
    • All Lifestyle
    • Viva - Food, fashion & beauty
    • Society Insider
    • Royals
    • Sex & relationships
    • Food & drinkRecipesRecipe collectionsRestaurant reviewsRestaurant bookings
    • Health & wellbeing
    • Fashion & beauty
    • Pets & animals
    • The Selection - Shop the trendsShop fashionShop beautyShop entertainmentShop giftsShop home & living
    • Milford's Investing Place
  • Entertainment
    • All Entertainment
    • TV
    • MoviesMovie reviews
    • MusicMusic reviews
    • BooksBook reviews
    • Culture
    • ReviewsBook reviewsMovie reviewsMusic reviewsRestaurant reviews
  • Travel
    • All Travel
    • News
    • New ZealandNorthlandAucklandWellingtonCanterburyOtago / QueenstownNelson-TasmanBest NZ beaches
    • International travelAustraliaPacific IslandsEuropeUKUSAAfricaAsia
    • Rail holidays
    • Cruise holidays
    • Ski holidays
    • Luxury travel
    • Adventure travel
  • Kāhu Māori news
  • Environment
    • All Environment
    • Our Green Future
  • Talanoa Pacific news
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Property Insider
    • Interest rates tracker
    • Residential property listings
    • Commercial property listings
  • Health
  • Technology
    • All Technology
    • AI
    • Social media
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
    • Opinion
    • Audio & podcasts
  • Weather forecasts
    • All Weather forecasts
    • Kaitaia
    • Whangārei
    • Dargaville
    • Auckland
    • Thames
    • Tauranga
    • Hamilton
    • Whakatāne
    • Rotorua
    • Tokoroa
    • Te Kuiti
    • Taumaranui
    • Taupō
    • Gisborne
    • New Plymouth
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Dannevirke
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Levin
    • Paraparaumu
    • Masterton
    • Wellington
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Blenheim
    • Westport
    • Reefton
    • Kaikōura
    • Greymouth
    • Hokitika
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
    • Wānaka
    • Oamaru
    • Queenstown
    • Dunedin
    • Gore
    • Invercargill
  • Meet the journalists
  • Promotions & competitions
  • OneRoof property listings
  • Driven car news

Puzzles & Quizzes

  • Puzzles
    • All Puzzles
    • Sudoku
    • Code Cracker
    • Crosswords
    • Cryptic crossword
    • Wordsearch
  • Quizzes
    • All Quizzes
    • Morning quiz
    • Afternoon quiz
    • Sports quiz

Regions

  • Northland
    • All Northland
    • Far North
    • Kaitaia
    • Kerikeri
    • Kaikohe
    • Bay of Islands
    • Whangarei
    • Dargaville
    • Kaipara
    • Mangawhai
  • Auckland
  • Waikato
    • All Waikato
    • Hamilton
    • Coromandel & Hauraki
    • Matamata & Piako
    • Cambridge
    • Te Awamutu
    • Tokoroa & South Waikato
    • Taupō & Tūrangi
  • Bay of Plenty
    • All Bay of Plenty
    • Katikati
    • Tauranga
    • Mount Maunganui
    • Pāpāmoa
    • Te Puke
    • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Hawke's Bay
    • All Hawke's Bay
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Havelock North
    • Central Hawke's Bay
    • Wairoa
  • Taranaki
    • All Taranaki
    • Stratford
    • New Plymouth
    • Hāwera
  • Manawatū - Whanganui
    • All Manawatū - Whanganui
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Manawatū
    • Tararua
    • Horowhenua
  • Wellington
    • All Wellington
    • Kapiti
    • Wairarapa
    • Upper Hutt
    • Lower Hutt
  • Nelson & Tasman
    • All Nelson & Tasman
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Tasman
  • Marlborough
  • West Coast
  • Canterbury
    • All Canterbury
    • Kaikōura
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
  • Otago
    • All Otago
    • Oamaru
    • Dunedin
    • Balclutha
    • Alexandra
    • Queenstown
    • Wanaka
  • Southland
    • All Southland
    • Invercargill
    • Gore
    • Stewart Island
  • Gisborne

Media

  • Video
    • All Video
    • NZ news video
    • Herald NOW
    • Business news video
    • Politics news video
    • Sport video
    • World news video
    • Lifestyle video
    • Entertainment video
    • Travel video
    • Markets with Madison
    • Kea Kids news
  • Podcasts
    • All Podcasts
    • The Front Page
    • On the Tiles
    • Ask me Anything
    • The Little Things
  • Cartoons
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / World

Covid 19 coronavirus: 'Patient zero' limo driver's family speaks out

By Benjamin Graham
news.com.au·
2 Jul, 2021 06:36 PM4 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

The limousine driver has denied he is the cause of the Delta spread across Sydney. Photo / Tim Hunter

The limousine driver has denied he is the cause of the Delta spread across Sydney. Photo / Tim Hunter

The family of a limo driver who is understood to be Sydney's Delta strain 'patient zero' have put their side of the story across and cast serious doubts on the assertion that he was the first with virus.

The driver has been subject to blame and criticism since the outbreak first emerged.

Authorities said he was unvaccinated while transporting international aircrews to and from Sydney airport before sparking infections across Bondi.

NSW Police carried out investigation into his behaviour but found there was insufficient evidence to establish that he breached any public health orders.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Now his son has started a GoFundMe page and explained the family's side of the story.

He said that on the weekend of June 12 and 13 when NSW Health claims his dad spread the virus to two people during fleeting contact at Westfield Bondi Junction and a Vaucluse cafe, he also spent between four to five hours at his home with family – but nobody caught the virus.

He said his dad has become a "scapegoat" for the outbreak by the government and the media.

"My father always wore gloves, masks and sanitised his vehicles between passengers and this was confirmed by the numerous people that police interviewed during their investigation," he said.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

"All international air crew that he drove have tested negative to COVID, so how on earth could Gladys Berejiklian, Dr Kerry Chant and Brad Hazzard go on public television and make unsubstantiated claims that he is patient zero?

"Being the first to test positive doesn't make you patient zero. Remember: he is only getting tested because he's required to for his job.

"We all know that Covid can be asymptomatic for the majority of people. Surely they realise it could have been in the community for some time undetected?"

He said his dad spent 4-5 hours with his younger sister and her children on June 11, "doing all the things that grandparents do – hugs, kisses, mealtime".

"None of them have to this day tested positive to COVID," he said.

"How is it that such a contagious disease skipped his children and grandchildren, but infected a man in his 50s at Myer the same morning? That is why he thinks he got it out and about in the community."

A huge number of new Covid exposure sites in NSW is causing concern about a potential rise in coronavirus cases across Sydney.

Last night, NSW Health issued an emergency alert, listing dozens of new exposure sites promoting fears there could be a significant increase in new cases of Covid-19 this weekend.

NSW Health believes the driver caught the Delta strain of the virus on Friday, June 11, before he spent the weekend travelling around the eastern suburbs with his wife, visiting Belle Cafe in Vaucluse and shopping at Westfield Bondi Junction.

He is believed to have shared the virus with a man in his 50s he passed at Myer, while in another similarly brief moment at the cafe it is thought a woman in her 70s contracted the same virus.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

However, the son said his dad may have caught the virus the following day at a cafe.

"The following day (June 12th) my parents went to Belle Cafe and they report someone there coughing and sneezing. That is why they suspect they got it out and about," he said.

The son said his dad is an "honest, hard working and well respected man who did nothing but follow all of the health orders given to him".

"We have been beside ourselves with stress. The stress of mum and dad having Covid in addition to the stress of wondering if the police are going to charge my father for simply doing his job whilst following all health orders," he said.

"The government insisted in ordering additional investigations in an attempt to pin this on him."

He said the GoFundMe page is about showing support for his dad.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

"It breaks my heart that he and my mother have had to endure this mindless scapegoating by a government that cannot seem to get things under control and have opted to blame, rather than protect, an individual who has simply done nothing wrong," he said.

Save

    Share this article

Latest from World

World

Jeff Bezos weds Lauren Sánchez in lavish Venice ceremony

27 Jun 09:45 PM
World

Trump halts trade talks with Canada over digital services tax

27 Jun 09:03 PM
World

'Tremendous win': Trump celebrates Supreme Court ruling on powers

27 Jun 08:37 PM

Kaibosh gets a clean-energy boost in the fight against food waste

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from World

Jeff Bezos weds Lauren Sánchez in lavish Venice ceremony

Jeff Bezos weds Lauren Sánchez in lavish Venice ceremony

27 Jun 09:45 PM

Lauren Sánchez arrived by water taxi from the Aman Venice hotel.

Trump halts trade talks with Canada over digital services tax

Trump halts trade talks with Canada over digital services tax

27 Jun 09:03 PM
'Tremendous win': Trump celebrates Supreme Court ruling on powers

'Tremendous win': Trump celebrates Supreme Court ruling on powers

27 Jun 08:37 PM
Premium
Mexico considers legal action after SpaceX rocket debris fallout

Mexico considers legal action after SpaceX rocket debris fallout

27 Jun 08:25 AM
Engage and explore one of the most remote places on Earth in comfort and style
sponsored

Engage and explore one of the most remote places on Earth in comfort and style

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • NZ Herald e-editions
  • Daily puzzles & quizzes
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Subscribe to the NZ Herald newspaper
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP