Goonellabah Public School reopened, Silly Solly’s owner reacts to Covid contact
The owner of a Lismore store listed as a venue of concern says a Covid-19 infected person used a QR code to check in but didn’t come inside.
Lismore
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A Northern NSW school has reopened after a Covid deep clean and students are coming back through the gates.
It comes as the owner of a business listed as a venue of concern says his shop wasn’t open when an infected person was said to be there.
Lismore has entered a week-long lockdown after a new Covid-19 case was identified in the region.
A second case – an infected person who was in Northern NSW but has since left the area – has also been identified overnight.
Adrian Serafin, owner of Silly Solly’s discount store in Keen Street, Lismore, said while his store was listed as a venue of concern, the infected person never entered the shop.
NSW Health said the infected person was at the store from 8.55am to 9am on Tuesday, September 14.
But the shop doesn’t open until 9am and Mr Serafin said authorities had confirmed with him the infected person was on the footpath, used a QR code to check in at 8.55am, realised the store was closed and left the area.
This meant his store didn’t need to be deep cleaned and staff didn’t need to isolate.
“NSW Health rang the shop yesterday morning,” Mr Serafin said.
“We questioned the time with them, we said we don’t open until 9am and they ran back 10 to 15 minutes later; they said (the infected person) was at the front of the shop.”
Mr Serafin said he was told NSW Health still wanted to list the store in case people came into contact with the infected person on the footpath outside.
He felt the attention on the store and perception it was exposed to Covid-19 had impacted trade.
But thankfully, the store is considered an essential service and can operate through lockdown.
“We’re classed as essential because we’ve got quite a large food department,” he said.
“I’m still trying to give staff hours. I’m still trying to keep the shop open.”
Meanwhile, students are back at Goonellabah Public School, which was closed on Thursday after it was revealed the same Covid-19 case attended the school on Monday.
A NSW Education spokesman said the school had reopened.
“Students and staff identified as close contacts have been notified and asked to self-isolate for the required period and follow the NSW health advice and protocols,” he said.
“The school has been thoroughly cleaned and will reopen Friday, September 17, for any child who is unable to learn from home.”
Health authorities have meanwhile confirmed a second Covid-19 case was infectious in Northern NSW earlier this month, but has since left the area.
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