Shoreline worker infectious for ‘two days’ as worksites shut across region

Confirmation comes as Coffs Harbour workers isolating for two weeks and a second construction site temporarily shut in Lismore after two men deemed close contacts of Covid-19 case.

UPDATE 7:30am: NSW Health have revealed the Shoreline worker at the centre of a Coffs Harbour Covid exposure was infectious for two days last week.

In a statement released late on Wednesday night, Mid North Coast Local Health District chief executive Stewart Dowrick said the man, who later tested positive in Sydney, was “considered to have been infectious for the final two days he was in the area”.

“All people who worked at the construction site on Wednesday, July 14 and Thursday, July 15 have been declared close contacts. They have been tested and are isolating until 14 days after their exposure.”

Mr Dowrick said the man then drove back to Sydney with two colleagues on Thursday evening. The two men have since tested positive to Covid-19 but were not deemed to be infectious while in Coffs Harbour.

The work site at Lismore Base Hospital was closed after two contractors were deemed close contacts of a Covid case in Coffs Harbour.

Meanwhile, the implications of the exposure have now reached beyond the city with Northern NSW Local Health District revealing a construction site at Lismore Base Hospital was shut down on Tuesday after two workers were deemed close contacts of the infectious man in Coffs Harbour.

The two contractors have since tested negative and will continue to isolate while a further 77 projects staff and construction workers were identified as secondary close contacts and are isolating while awaiting test results.

EARLIER: NSW Health has confirmed the person who visited the Hoey Moey while infectious with Covid-19 also visited the Shoreline development.

The confirmation comes after The Coffs Coast Advocate on Tuesday revealed the construction site had been closed and workers were being tested for Covid-19 by health staff.

Mid North Coast Local Health District chief executive Stewart Dowrick has now issued a statement in which he declared all workers at the site close contacts.

“The Shoreline construction site at Coffs Harbour was closed (on Tuesday) after it was attended by the same positive case (to the Hoey Moey),” he said.

“(Workers) have been tested and directed to isolate at home for 14 days regardless of the test result.”

A Coffs Harbour construction site has been shut after a visitor to the site tested positive to coronavirus in Sydney. Photo: Tim Jarrett

MP addresses community concerns

As community concern grows over the way the Covid exposure has been handled, Coffs Harbour MP Gurmesh Singh has defended his role in the release of information which led to confusion over possible exposure sites in the city.

On Monday, Mr Singh posted a list of possible sites of exposure which had been sent to him from NSW Health, after residents received text messages telling them they were close contacts of a Covid case. The news caused widespread alarm and Park Beach Plaza, who were named on the list, lost trade.

Mr Singh was asked why he sent out the information and whether he had been instructed to by NSW Health.

“No, but I wasn’t asked not to either,” he said.

“My assumption was that it was due to be published as a list and to be open and transparent I published that list knowing people would want clear and concise communication given that people had received the text messages overnight.”

Deputy Premier John Barilaro and Coffs Harbour MP Gurmesh Singh. Photo: Tim Jarrett

When it was put to him that NSW Health traditionally issue health alerts and asked why he felt responsible to deliver the information, Mr Singh said it was something he had done before.

“All during this Covid period during the last 18 months I have been providing advice I have been given by NSW Health, sometimes on a daily basis, when the situation is rapidly evolving,” he said.

“It wasn’t marked sensitive or not for publication.”

“This delta variant has been shown to be highly infectious and a more cautious approach is the right approach. What we don’t want is to have to go into a lockdown.”

“Room for improvement”

The owners of both Park Beach Plaza and the Hoey Moey have aired their concerns over a lack of communication and information from NSW Health with regards to the potential exposure sites.

On Tuesday, Hoey Moey publican Harry Barry took to social media to offer his own health advice after discovering the infectious person who entered the venue spent 15 minutes playing the pokies rather than going straight to the bottle shop.

After NSW Health changed their advice to reflect the discovery, Mr Singh said there was “obviously room for improvement”.

“Once we are through the crisis phase of this we will be reviewing (our systems) and seeing what can be done better next time,” he said. “We are all still learning. There is no instruction manual.”

The Hoey Moey released this map which they say shows the potentially infectious Covid-positive person visited more than just the bottle shop and stayed in the pub longer than NSW Health advice originally stated.

With exposures in other regions the subject of significant attention with what seemed like more detailed movements of potential Covid cases, Mr Singh was asked why that was not happening in Coffs Harbour.

“I don’t know why it is not happening here,” he said. “I have asked NSW Health to please provide some more communication to the community because understandably people are concerned.”

“We need to get information out in a more timely manner.”

There is no doubt however that NSW Health is under significant pressure to deal with a worsening situation across the state and health district chief Stewart Dowrick reminded people of the process it undertakes before issuing advice.

Stewart Dowrick, Chief Executive Mid North Coast Local Health District.

Mr Dowrick said when a confirmed case attends a venue while possibly infectious, NSW Health carries out a risk assessment to determine whether other people may have been exposed and whether there is a public health risk.

“Public health experts will determine if there is a public health reason for those potential exposure sites to be listed as venues of concern,” he said.

“As part of its investigation of potential exposure sites in the Coffs Harbour area, NSW Health directly contacts people known to have been at those places and they are advised to follow health advice.”

“NSW Health continues to investigate potential exposure sites at Coffs Harbour visited by a positive Covid-19 case last week.”