Covid updates: Charges laid as state sits on brink of full lockdown

NSW Government frustrated by the “handful” of people who are knowingly breaching Public Health Orders.

A QML Pathology drive-through Covid-19 testing clinic has been set up at the Cavanbah Centre on Ewingsdale Road, in Byron Bay, after a case was detected on the Northern Rivers. Monday, August 9, 2021.

• Second man charged over Covid-19 breaches on the Northern Rivers

• Second man charged over Covid-19 breaches on the Northern Rivers

• Three confirmed Covid patients on the Northern Rivers

• No new cases recorded to 8pm, Thursday August 12.

• Residents of Lismore, Byron, Ballina and Richmond Valley Local Government Areas in lockdown until at least 12.01am, Tuesday August 17.

• Twenty Covid exposure sites listed on the Northern Rivers

• Testing clinic locations across the Northern Rivers

• Timeline of Covid outbreak on the Northern Rivers.

Update 5.40pm: NSW Health said there have been huge turnouts for Covid testing on the Northern Rivers after three people were confirmed positive after being active in the communiy.

But to date, there are no new confirmed cases of Covid-19 reported among residents of the Northern NSW Local Health District (NNSWLHD).

In the days since a confirmed case of Covid-19 was detected in a visitor to the region, community members in Northern NSW have responded in huge numbers to calls to get

tested for Covid-19.

Over three days from Tuesday August 10 to Thursday August 12, there were 7299 tests

conducted across the four hospital-based testing clinics and six drive through clinics

from Grafton up to Tweed Heads.

On Tuesday, August 10, 2837 tests were conducted at these sites, 2317 on Wednesday

August 11 and 2145 on Thursday August 12.

NSW Health said these figures do not include the multiple other pathology, respiratory and GP testing clinics, and those numbers will be reported in weekly statistics in due course.

“We are extremely pleased with the high numbers of people turning out for testing across

our region at the moment,” acting chief executive NNSWLHD, Lynne Weir said.

“When you consider that in recent weeks, testing numbers have been up around 9000

a week, these numbers we’re seeing at the moment are really encouraging.”

Additional testing clinics have been established this week, including new drive through

clinics in Casino and Bangalow, to make it easier for residents to get tested.

While there have been some longer lines at clinics around the district, particularly at

the drive throughs in Byron Bay and Tweed Heads, the time taken for people to

receive their results remains around the 24-48 hr period.

“As has been the case throughout this pandemic, our public health response relies on

immense team efforts, and we commend health staff right across the district on the

commitment and skills they bring to work each day.”

Anyone who has even mild symptoms of Covid-19 should get tested immediately,

then go home and self-isolate until they receive a negative result.

If you have been given specific advice by NSW Health, for example as a result of

being a close contact of a confirmed case, please follow that advice to the letter.

Symptoms of Covid-19 can include a runny nose, scratchy or sore throat, cough, fever,

shortness of breath, headache, tiredness, loss of taste or smell, nausea, diarrhoea or

muscle aches.

All the local testing clinics and their opening hours are listed on the NSW government

website at: https://www.nsw.gov.au/covid-19/how-to-protect-yourself-and-others/clinics

or, you can also contact your GP.

Sewage Surveillance

Fragments of the virus that causes Covid-19 have been detected overnight in

samples taken from the South Lismore sewage treatment plant on Wednesday August 11.

Assistant director North Coast Public Health Unit, Greg Bell, said this was to be

expected, given the plant processes waste from the Lismore Base Hospital.

“We know the COVID-19 positive cases have been cared for at the hospital, which is

why we’re now seeing these results detected in the sewage,” Mr Bell said.

“Of course, there may also be other undetected cases of Covid-19 in the community.

“Please keep in mind that, along with keeping to the stay at home orders in place at the

moment, the best thing that people can do is to get tested immediately if they feel slightly

unwell.”

There have been no other sewage detections in samples taken at collection sites across

the district.

Additional sewage testing is being done in high risk areas, with the Bangalow, Byron

Bay, Mullumbimby and Ocean Shores treatment plans currently being tested twice

weekly. The most recent samples were taken at these sites on August 9 and 10, all

returning negative results.

Sewage testing will also commence this week at the Nimbin and Casino sewage

treatment plants, while testing continues at other sites throughout Northern NSW as

part of the regular program.

“Sewage testing can help provide early warning of undetected infections in an area,” Mr

Bell said.

As well as being present in stools, viral fragments can enter the sewer when washed

off hands and bodies through sinks and showers.

Usual sewage treatment processes inactivate, or kill, the Covid-19 virus.

Update 1.30pm: A number of Northern Rivers businesses have closed for cleaning and testing after being advised a close contact of a Covid case had visited.

The venues are not listed on the NSW Health site as they are not locations visited directly by a Covid case.

The Keen St Clinic in Lismore posted to Facebook that it was notified an employee was a close contact of a Covid patient.

The post said: “We have been notified that one employee is a close contact of known Covid case. There are several other employees of the clinic who are identified as secondary close contacts. We have contacted public health and we are following the testing and isolation advice for those staff members. As such, some appointments will be rescheduled. Please give our receptionists time to contact you to rearrange your appointment if needed. We have not identified any risk to any patients at this time”.

NSW Health said it will contact people who are considered either a close or casual Covid contact.

The clinic said patients would be notified if there was concern they were exposed.

Nimbin Village Pharmacy also closed for cleaning and testing earlier in the week after a customer was found to be a close contact of a Covid case.

The Pharmacy posted to Facebook they decided to close and get tested after initially being told they were “at risk”.

The pharmacy had reopened today after a number of negative results were returned.

Nimbin Hills Real Estate was closed due to the lockdown, but an employee was considered a close contact of a Covid case.

Update 1.20pm: The Federal Government has released new data showing the numbers of vaccines delivered across the North Coast.

While encouraged by the figures, authorities were callin on more people to get vaccinated, saying it was the key to easing restrictions.

But as new pharmacies were added to the list of centres admistrating the vaccines, some declared they were yet to receive deliveries.

Update 11.45am: Covid-19 fragments have been detected at the South Lismore Sewerage Treatment Plant.

NSW Health said: “While there are known cases in Lismore, NSW Health is also urging local residents to be vigilant in the region as the South Lismore sewage treatment plant has detected fragments of the virus that causes COVID-19”.

The “known cases” in Lismore referred to by the health department are the two confirmed cases from Sydney who are in Lismore Base Hospital.

Sewerage from Lismore Base Hospital is treated at the South Lismore sewerage treatment plant.

“If you are directed to get tested for COVID 19 or self-isolate at any time, you must follow the rules whether or not the venue or exposure setting is listed on the NSW Health website,” the health department said.

“It remains vital that anyone who has any symptoms or is a close or casual contact of a person with COVID-19, isolates and is tested immediately. When testing clinics are busy, please ensure you stay in line, identify yourself to staff and tell them that you have symptoms or are a contact of a case.”

Update 11.40am: On the Northern Rivers, police continue to monitor compliance with the Public Health Orders.

Operation Boundary Response, which spans from the Hawkesbury River north of Sydney to the Queensland border, has seen police interact with the drivers of 710 vehicles in the previous 24 hours, issuing a total of 49 PINs.

Update 11.30am: The NSW Premier said the state should reach 70 per cent of the population who have received a double dose of a Covid vacine by October, and 80 per cent by mid-November.

She said that when the state hit those “milestones”, then the “greater opportunities we have to live more freely and safely”.

Update 11.10am: Police have expressed their frustration after a second man was charged for breaching public health orders on the Northern Rives yesterday.

“It’s simply unbelievable that people are still disobeying the rules,” Deputy Police Commissioner Mick Willing said.

“If we don’t catch you during our compliance activities, we will do so through our investigations.”

Premier Berejiklian said: “Let’s not pretend people don’t know what they are doing,” and urged people to abide by the Public Health Orders.

She said she was tired of people using the excuse they didn’t know they were doing the wrong thing when found to be breaching the health orders.

Ms Berejiklian said NSW communities were suffering from the impacts of the actions of a handful of people, pointing to the two men who have been charged for breaching orders on the Northern Rivers.

Update 11.05am: NSW has recorded 390 cases of Covid-19, and two deaths overnight.

There have been no cases recorded on the Northern Rivers, but NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian urged caution as new exposure venues were listed.

Update 10.25am: The QLD Government said all of NSW was a hotspot, including areas in lockdown in the border bubble.

They said new restrictions were in place to ensure the virus did not come into QLD from NSW.

When asked at today’s press conference about whether the QLD/ NSW border would shut completely Premier Palaszczuk said the spreading outbreak to regional NSW was a “real concern”, and they wanted a “clear path” tocontain the virus outbreak.

She said she would talk with her NSW counterparts at the National Cabinet meeting later today to find out what plans they had in place to contain the outbreaks.

“Let’s hear what they have to say first,” Ms Palaszczuk said.

“It’s really concerning.

“The last thing we want to see is this virus spread north, the virus spread south, and spread across the nation, so, it’s absolutely imperative that New South Wales contains this virus… we wish them all the very best but of course, we still remain concerned.”

Update 10.20am: The QLD Government said 6381 vehicles were stopped on the QLD border yesterday and their eligibilty to travel checked.

They said 192 vehicles were refused entry to QLD.

Two fines of $4135 were issued for breaching directions.

Noone was directed to quarantine.

Update 10.12am: The QLD health minister Yvette D’Ath reinforced her governemtn’s definition of which workers were considered “essential”, and who was allowed to enter QLD from the seven border Local Govenment Areas.

She said the reason teachers and child care workers were excluded, was they cannot risk these teachers and child care workers coming into schools and childcare centres and spreading the virus.

Ms D’Ath said they did not want to see a repeat of the Indooroopilly High School outbreak.

“Essential workers do not include teachers, anyone who can perform their work remotely at home, childcare workers, hospitality representatives, commercial or construction workers on non-critical projects,” Ms D’Ath said.

“There has been a discussion about teachers and childcare workers, because in the past they haven’t necessarily been excluded from these movements… but we cannot risk these teachers and childcare workers coming into Queensland, going into our schools and our day care centres.”

Update 10.05am: The QLD Premier said her government will continue to monitor outbreaks of Covid-19 in NSW.

Annastacia Palaszczuk said she were concerned about how clusters in NSW are continuing to expand, and would discuss the ongoing situation at a National Cabinet briefing later today.

Ms Palaszczuk said they were keen to see what measures the NSW Government was taking to contain the outbreak.

Original story: A second man has been charged over breaching Covid-19 restrictions on the Northern Rivers.

Police allege the 19-year-old Rose Bay man travelled from Sydney to the Byron Bay area in company of the 52-year-old Rose Bay man.

Lack of information about where the family travelled while they were infectious in the community for eight days threw four LGAs into a week-long lockdown.

Lismore, Byron Bay, Ballina, Richmond Valley Local Government Areas are under lockdown restrictions until at least 12.01am, Tuesday 17.

So far, 20 locations and times have been revealed as exposure locations across the Northern Rivers.

The situation is changing quickly, so people are urged to keep up-to-date on the NSW Health website.

The news of the new charges come as the NSW Premier hints the entire state may go into full lockdown.

The NSW Police deputy commissioner Michael Willing said additional compliance measures may be put in place in the areas under lockdown, closing any loopholes that may have allowed the virus to spread from Sydney.

14 PINs were issued this week on the Northern Rivers, two of them in Mullumbimby.