The statewide lockdown affecting regional and metropolitan areas of New South Wales has been extended until August 28, just a day after COVID-19 case was confirmed in Kempsey.
Key points:
- The statewide lockdown in New South Wales has been extended, just a day after a positive case of COVID-19 was confirmed in Kempsey
- Businesses have noticed a drop in customers after the announcement
- A drive-through testing clinic has opened at Kempsey’s Riverside Park
A girl, 14, tested positive after earlier visiting family in Newcastle.
However, the Mid North Coast Local Health District chief executive Stewart Dowrick said that, so far, contact tracing had been encouraging.
“Our public health team have been working hard since this matter came to our attention — a serious public health matter — and the advice, at this stage, is there are no venues of concern linked to this [Kempsey] case,” Mr Dowrick said.
“They will continue their investigations and keep working through this and, if there’s any change to that, we will update our communication to the local Mid North Coast community, particularly Kempsey, but — at this stage — there are no venues of concern.
“We have a number of close contacts, being her immediate family, and there’s a few other people that have been identified as well that we are working our way through to determine their exposure.”
Lou Kesby owns Lou’s Café in the centre of Kempsey’s CBD. He said trading had been even quieter since the COVID-19 announcement.
“Today is very, very quiet,” he said.
Supplied: Lou’s Cafe
)Major employer on ‘high alert’
The Nestlé factory at Smithtown is one of the region’s largest employers, with workers commuting from all over the Macleay Valley, including Kempsey, according to Nestlé’s corporate affairs head, Margaret Stuart.
“All our factories are on high alert because of how transmissible this disease is,” Ms Stuart said.
“Absolutely everybody that goes on our site has their temperature screened before entering.
“Everyone has been wearing a mask and everything is frequently cleaned.”
Ms Stuart said the factory was looking at ramping-up its safety protocols.
“Of course, anybody [who] enters and leaves the site becomes a way that [COVID-19] can be transmitted,” she said.
Ms Stuart said those coming to the factory from other regions would be watched closely.
“Food is essential and, for things to get to supermarket shelves, truck movements are really important,” she said.
Supplied: Nestle
)‘No cause for panic’
Despite growing concerns in the community, the Mayor of Kempsey shire, Liz Campbell, said the lockdown orders would have slowed the spread by reducing community transmission.
“The good thing is, our schools are already closed and the community has been [staying at home],” she said.
“That has minimised the risk that we would have had.
A new, drive-through COVID-19 testing clinic opened at Kempsey’s Riverside Park at noon on Thursday.
Mr Dowrick said that, since the positive case, there had been an increase in the number of people coming forward for testing.
“I do really thank the community of Kempsey and the Macleay for coming out in large numbers yesterday,” he said.
Sewage surveillance testing has also now begun in Kempsey.
“We have commenced that with the local council and environmental health officers and testing has been undertaken and sent to Sydney for analysis,” Mr Dowrick said.
“It takes 48 to 72 hours to have the test returned.”
ABC Mid North Coast: Kerrin Thomas
)Kempsey has one of the lower vaccination rates on the Mid North Coast, with between 20 and 29 per cent of residents in that postcode area fully vaccinated, while between 40 and 49 per cent have received one dose of vaccine.
“We would really encourage people to get vaccinated. We are looking at whether we can expand the local health district efforts in Kempsey,” Mr Dowrick said.
COVID-19 sewage fragments detected at Forster
Also today, NSW Health said that fragments of COVID-19 have been found during sewage surveillance testing in Forster.
It comes after a positive case a week ago in a woman who had contracted COVID-19 in Newcastle, but who has been isolating at home in Forster.
Hunter New England Health’s director of health protection, Dr David Durrheim, said the latest sewage detection was not linked to that case.
“We are very concerned,” he said.
“The case that is isolating is not in the area that would contribute to this particular catchment … therefore, the two instances cannot be connected.”
Anyone with even mild symptoms in the Forster area is urged to get tested.
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