40 workers and visitors in isolation as close contacts after Chinderah Covid cases scare

The health district has revealed how many people have been forced to isolate after a Covid positive truck driver lied on his border declaration and stopped at a Chinderah service station.

Ampol Service Centre at Chinderah (formerly Caltex Starmart) has been added to the NSW Covid contact list after positive cases stayed overnight on Tuesday 13th July till Wednesday 14th July Picture Supplied

Update 5.20pm: More than 40 people, between staff and visitors, have been classified as close contacts at the Chinderah service station Covid venue warning on the weekend.

The exposure site triggered Queensland Health to declare the Tweed Shire an ‘orange’ area.

Lynne Weir, Acting Chief Executive, Northern NSW Local Health District, said the close contacts were self-isolating after two COVID-19 cases attended the Ampol Service Station at Chinderah near Murwillumbah overnight on Tuesday, July 13 and the morning of Wednesday July 14.

“NSW Health takes proactive steps to contact all close contacts of the case, to give advice on isolation, symptoms to be aware of and their level of risk,” she said.

“All people who are diagnosed with COVID-19 and their close contacts are asked to observe 14 days of self-isolation to ensure there is no ongoing risk of infection to others in the community.

“Close contacts are asked to get tested on days 1, 7 and 12 of the isolation period, and to complete the full 14 days’ self-isolation even if the test results are negative.”

Ms Weir said close contacts are contacted regularly by NSW Health’s contact tracing teams to check for symptoms and review their wellbeing.

“Household members of close contacts should follow the advice provided by NSW Health for secondary close contacts,” she said.

She said further information was available at NSW Health fact sheet for secondary close contacts - Fact sheets

No information was provided about the whereabouts of the two positive cases, after Queensland Health confirmed they did not enter Queensland.

A NSW Health spokesperson said any potential breaches of the Public Health Order are a matter for NSW Police.

“NSW Health does not comment on individual cases due to privacy,” the person said.

“NSW Health does not disclose details about venues unless there is a public health reason.

“When a confirmed COVID-19 case attends a venue while possibly infectious, NSW Health carries out a risk assessment on that venue to determine whether other people may have been exposed and whether there is a public health risk.

“If the risk assessment suggests that there is a public health risk, NSW Health issues a public health alert and places details of the venue on the website of exposure venues.

“NSW Health takes proactive steps to contact all close contacts of the case, to give advice on isolation, testing, symptoms to be aware of and their level of risk.”

A NSW Police spokesperson said queries regarding the two people’s whereabouts should be directed to NSW Health.

For the second day in a row, the NSW premier, Gladys Berejiklian, offered no information to Northern NSW residents about the cases detected in the area.

Update 4.45pm:

A Queensland Health spokesperson has confirmed the truck driver who tested positive for Covid-19 who stopped in Chinderah was not quarantining in Queensland.

Earlier on Monday it was confirmed the driver who was at the truck stop between Tuesday July 13 and Wednesday July 14 had falsified his border declaration documents.

NSW Health has been asked where the driver was now quarantining and is yet to respond.

The Local Health District has also been contacted for comment.

On Monday NSW recorded 98 new Covid cases with 20 of those infectious in the community, all within Greater Sydney.

Earlier:

The truck driver who stayed at the Chinderah truck stop who tested positive for Covid-19 falsified his border declaration according to Queensland Police.

Queensland Deputy Police Commissioner Steve Gollschewski said at a press conference on Monday morning the state and freight industry did a compliance operation on freight drivers on the weekend where of 226 driver intercepted 83 did not have the correct border declaration passes, and 29 had come out of a Covid hotspot.

He said the truck driver who stayed at Chinderah had “completely falsified” his declaration pass and was now in hotel quarantine.

“That particular driver had completely falsified records, was not cooperative with our investigation and had in fact, come out of a hot spot and stopped at the Chinderah truck stop,” he said.

“It is very disappointing.”

The Queensland Health Minister Yvette D’Ath said there was no proposed change to the New South Wales border at this time.

“There has been no transition outside of the Local Government Areas we’ve declared a hot spot,” Ms D’Ath said.

She said as there had also been no positive sewerage tests for Covid outside of the greater Sydney LGAs already listed as hot spots the system at the borders would remain the same.

“We know putting in place a physical hard border is very logistically difficult and impacts significantly on those border towns,” she said.

“We will only do this if we absolutely have to.”

Anyone entering Queensland from New South Wales must complete a border declaration form.