Culture

NSW’s New COVID Case Just Really Wanted To Buy A BBQ And It’s All I Can Think About

Wishing BBQ Man a speedy recovery so he can finally fire up his new grill with his friends.

by Michelle Rennex  6 May 2021
BBQ Man covid NSW

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Yesterday, a new mystery local COVID case popped up in NSW.

A Sydney man in his 50s — and now also his wife — tested positive for coronavirus despite not having travelled overseas or having any known links to hotel quarantine, border positions, or hospitals.

Prior to getting tested on Tuesday, NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian shared that the eastern suburbs man had been “very active in the inner east” but also “very good” at using venue QR codes to help with contact tracing.

As always, after the COVID test returned positive, a list of exposure locations visited by the man was shared online.

But as soon as the man’s weekend itinerary popped up online, all anyone could focus on was one thing: The 50-somethings seemingly dedicated search for the perfect barbeque.

Before knowing he had coronavirus, the new case, who has lovingly been dubbed BBQ Man, appears to have had a whirlwind of a weekend.

Starting on Friday night, BBQ Man watched The Courier at the cinemas and followed it up with a nice meal at Figo. But Saturday is when the fun really began, with the man visiting four barbeque stores across Sydney in what appears to be Australia’s most dedicated search for the perfect grill.

Taking the journey all the way from Bondi to Casula, with stops at Silverwater and Annandale along the way, BBQ Man’s journey seemed successful by his visit to ‘The Meat Store’ the following day.

And while BBQ Man’s trip seems pretty straightforward, there are just so many questions I have about the whole thing. Like, did something in the film he watched inspire the day-long grill hunt? Or was it all spurred on by a juicy steak he ate during his Friday night meal?

Did BBQ Man hit up four different grill locations because each store didn’t have the one he wanted or was it a price-matching issue? Was the Annandale to Casula Barbeques Galore journey all about who had the stock at that very moment?

I simply can’t sleep until I know whether the cheeky Saturday night BP run was to refuel after zooming around the whole of Sydney or if it was to pick up some gas for his brand new barbie — and I’m not the only one with questions. The whole of Sydney seems obsessed with BBQ Man’s journey for the perfect barbecue.

Now, don’t get it twisted. Australia doesn’t hate BBQ Man. In fact, it’s actually pretty impressive that as a country we can have a laugh at the movements of one person with COVID because community cases are such a rarity here.

And as NSW Health Minister Brad Hazzard explained in today’s press conference, BBQ Man and his wife “have done everything the absolutely right way”. The couple clearly used QR codes at every location they visited, which is why we now have such a comprehensive itinerary of their weekend shopping adventures.

Everyones just fixated on this man’s movements because it’s just really funny to see how badly he wanted a new grill. Plus, it’s super satisfying to see that he actually achieved his goal of getting the one he wanted judging by his Meat Store trip the following day.

However, it is pretty sad to think about BBQ Man possibly losing his sense of taste right after securing his dream grill.

On a more serious note, in response to the man testing positive for coronavirus without a confirmed source of infection, Gladys Berejiklian did announce that Greater Sydney has some new restrictions to follow over the next three days.

In today’s press conference, Berejiklian shared that of the man’s 10 close contacts, only his wife has returned a positive result. However, to help control any further community transmission masks have become mandatory in indoor areas and on public transport until Monday.

From 5 pm tonight until 12.01 am on Monday, household gatherings will also be limited to a maximum of 20 people, only two people can visit aged care facilities, and singing and dancing have been restricted in all indoor venues except for weddings.

“We believe this is a proportionate response to the risk ahead of us,” the Premier said. “Unlike other premiers, we’re not shutting down the city. It’s business as usual for business: The only difference is that your workers should wear a mask.”

So mask up and keep your distance, and hopefully we can all have some unrestricted backyard barbecues of our own soon.

This exposure location list has since been updated. Please check the updated list and get tested if you have visited any of the locations.