A COVID-19 positive construction worker from Sydney has been in the Hunter.
Hunter New England Health’s Dr David Durrheim, Public Health Controller, HNELHD COVID-19 response said they received word overnight that a construction worker from Sydney was working at the Costco construction site in Boolaroo.
The worker had tested positive to COVID-19.
“Unfortunately last night we became aware of another importation linked to construction,”
“This is the third time that we’ve had construction workers and trade people coming up from Sydney and bring the virus with them,” said Dr Durrhiem.
“We really think at this stage people, employers, need to think very carefully about the origin of their workforce. We can’t have more and more cases being imported into the area from Sydney by employers,” he said.
“Because we still have people coming up from COVID infected areas, despite the good performance in the Hunter New England area, none of us can afford at this stage to assume that there is not COVID in our community. That somebody from Sydney might be standing next to us in a checkout, that somebody standing next to us to pick up takeaways might be infected and from Sydney.”
“Anybody with the mildest of symptoms needs to test, isolate and wait for a negative result. The good news is that the testing times are much shorter now, the wait times for a result is much shorter.”
“We need to test our way out of this pandemic,” said Dr Durrhiem.
Over 300 contacts to date have been identified and are being contacted for testing and isolation requirements. If anyone has been on this site since Monday 16 August, we request they get tested and isolate immediately.
If anyone attended the Costco petrol station or membership office in Boolaroo (1 Cressy Rd, Boolaroo) between Monday 16 August and Thursday 19 August, they are considered a casual contact and need to get tested and isolate immediately.