NSW Health have announced the COVID-19 outbreak at Newmarch House in Sydney’s West has come to an end.
The past two months brought turmoil and trauma to many, after 19 lives were lost, and 37 residents and 34 staff tested positive to the virus.
It was one of the deadliest outbreaks in the country since the pandemic began.
“We are delighted to share the good news that on Monday 15 June NSW Health declared the COVID-19 outbreak at Newmarch House over,” Anglicare Sydney said in a statement.
Blanche Billinghurst, 89, died from coronavirus at Newmarch House.
Anglicare said the outbreak had brought “significant grief and loss” to the community, expressing condolences to those who lost their lives.
“All of these were people who were much loved members of our Newmarch House community and their loss is felt not just by their immediate family but also by other residents and our staff, many of whom are only now returning to work.”
“This extraordinary challenge also highlighted the compassion and dedication of our staff, some of whom had to self-isolate and others who continued to work in difficult and unprecedented circumstances to maintain the care of all our residents,” the statement said.
The Newmarch outbreak is believed to have begun when an infected staff member came to work multiple times with extremely mild symptoms.
The response from Anglicare and government bodies was harshly criticised after new infections continued to appear more than two weeks into a full lockdown of the home.
