Covid Dubbo lockdown: Cases confirmed after virus found in sewage
Dubbo and dozens of small towns in the state’s west have entered a seven-day lockdown after three cases of Covid were reported.
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UPDATE AUGUST 11, 7pm
The Bogan, Bourke, Brewarrina, Coonamble, Gilgandra, Narromine, Walgett and Warren local government areas in western NSW will enter lockdown effective immediately.
NSW Health says the stay-at-home rules are the same as those already in force in Dubbo and across much of the rest of the state.
The rules apply to anyone who has been in the local government areas on or after August 5.
Three confirmed cases of Covid-19 were reported in western NSW on Wednesday, including a woman and child at Dubbo and a man at Walgett.
UPDATE AUGUST 11, 5.30pm
News of the lockdown and confirmed Covid cases in Dubbo came as no surprise to most locals, but the reality of being stuck at home for the next seven days or left without work again is yet to sink in for many.
Castlereagh Hotel manager Nick Rathbone said while the popular pub would offer a takeaway food and drinks service during lockdown, it would have to absorb a devastating estimated 90 per cent loss in trade.
“It’s not going to pay the overheads really,” he said.
“It’s a bit of kick in the guts, we were just starting to come back good from 12 months ago and now it’s happened again.
“I don’t think it’s really sunk in that much yet. Everyone’s just sort of rushed down to get their last beer and last bet on the pokies for a week.”
Burgies Burger Bar owner Annette Burge decided to close down before lockdown began.
The popular takeaway food joint is located opposite West Dubbo Public School where a member of the school community tested positive for Covid.
Students and staff from the nearby St Pius Primary School and Dubbo College Delroy Campus, along with those from West Dubbo Public, often visit Burgies.
“Half of our staff have children that go to Dubbo West, we have teachers come over daily and the kids come over morning and afternoon from Delroy and St Pius,” Mrs Burge said.
“We have not had any positive cases but we are going to get tested and we will be doing a deep clean.
“It is a bit worrying because we’re sort of on our last legs as it is and something like this is a bit worrying, we don’t know if it’s going to be the last nail in the coffin. I’m sad but I don’t want to put anyone at risk, that is our main priority, money’s not everything.”
Kerrie Robinson works as a cleaner for a business which was forced to shut.
Without her estimated $450 to $500 a week in wages, she planned to turn to Centrelink for help.
“I’ll have to apply Jobseeker but I don’t know how long that’s going to take to come through, if it comes through,” Ms Robinson said.
“Once we saw how many people were up here from Sydney, Victoria, Queensland, we knew the lockdown was going to happen.
“They should not have allowed so many people to come to the regional areas.”
Her message to fellow community members was simple.
“Stay at home, it’s not hard. If you don’t need something don’t go out,” she said.
“If you want to be a bloody idiot it’s never gonna go away.”
Mother and daughter Maxine Triplett and Courtney Triplett said the lockdown left them“feeling nervous”.
“I’m hoping it doesn’t get like Sydney,” Courtney said.
When news of the confirmed Covid cases broke on Tuesday night, Courtney said her mental health deteriorated and she went to Dubbo Base Hospital for treatment.
“I have severe anxiety, depression, PTSD and panic disorder,” she said.
“It just got all too much. I was panicking. They gave me tablets and that.”
UPDATE AUGUST 11, 4pm
A person in Walgett has tested positive to Covid-19, a Western NSW Local Health District spokesman has confirmed.
The person was known to have visited Dubbo and Bathurst during their infectious period, which the spokesman said “potentially” began on August 5.
Investigations and contact tracing efforts are underway.
The man was tested on August 7 and returned a positive result on August 11.
UPDATE AUGUST 11, 3.30pm
A 27-year-old man who spent two nights at Bathurst jail has tested positive for Covid-19.
The jail has now been placed into a “precautionary lockdown”, according to a Corrective Services NSW spokeswoman.
After arriving as a fresh custody inmate about 4pm Saturday, the man was granted bail on Monday.
“Inmates are tested for Covid-19 when they arrive in custody as a precaution,” the spokeswoman said.
“It was this sentinel test that determined he was positive.”
Contact tracing and testing of staff who dealt with the inmate is underway.
UPDATE AUGUST 11, 2.30pm
Dubbo police have urged the community to avoid panic buying as shoppers raid supermarket shelves and clean out toilet paper aisles.
Orana Mid-Western Police District Superintendent Danny Sullivan there would be an increased police presence in and around testing areas, as well as shopping centres.
“Let me be clear, our shops are open, but there’s no need to panic buy,” he said.
“Police will be there, in and around our shopping precincts to ensure safety and security.”
Superintendent Sullivan said police would have a zero tolerance approach to lockdown rule breakers.
“Because of the challenging times we now face in the Dubbo area, the time for education has passed so police will be taking an enforcement stance in relation to the public health order,” he said.
“The key to success though is us working together.”
Supermarket staff at Woolworths stores in the Riverdale and Orana Mall shopping centres were scrambling to stock shelves on Wednesday as the lockdown came into force.
Product limits have been put in place.
“UPDATE AUGUST 11, 12pm
A vet, supermarket and pharmacy have been listed as Dubbo venues of concern visited which were visited by confirmed cases of Covid-19.
NSW Health has released a list of sites and urged anyone who was at the locations to come forward for testing.
A woman in her 40s and a child who was a household contact were diagnosed with Covid on Wednesday.
Western NSW Local Health District chief executive officer Scott McLachlan said the woman had received one dose of the Pfizer vaccine and it was unclear how the pair had contracted the virus.
He said demand for testing in Dubbo was high and extra resources had been deployed to reduce wait times.
Anyone who has been in the Dubbo Regional Council local government area since August 1 has been urged to abide by the new lockdown rules which allow people to leave their homes for only a select few reasons.
“There’s four of those reasons; for essential work, for education, for essential shopping and for health care or medical reasons,” Mr McLachlan said.
“This is also means people shouldn’t have visitors to their homes.
“If people have been in Dubbo since the August 1 this is also a time to stay at home.”
Residents in Bathurst have also been urged to come forward for testing after Mr McLachlan confirmed fragments of the virus that causes Covid-19 had been found in the city’s sewage system.
UPDATE AUGUST 11, 11AM
NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian has announced the Dubbo Regional Council local government area will go into lockdown for seven days from 1pm Wednesday.
It comes after a woman in her 40s and a child who was a household contact tested positive to Covid-19 in the city on Tuesday.
The lockdown will impact Dubbo, Wellington, Wongarbon, Stuart Town and other small villages in the area.
Hundreds of residents have turned out for testing in the city, with local council staff forced at one point to turn people away from a drive-through facility at which was at capacity at Dubbo Showground on Wednesday morning.
Ms Berejiklian said 344 new cases of Covid-19 on Wednesday. More than 119,000 tests were carried out.
UPDATE AUGUST 11, 9.30AM
The Dubbo Regional Council local government area is reportedly set to enter a snap lockdown later today after a positive case of Covid-19 was confirmed in the city yesterday.
More details about the length of the lockdown and stay at home requirements are set to be announced by Premier Gladys Berejiklian at 11am.
Dubbo MP Dugald Saunders told a Sydney media outlet it had looked like the case had limited movements around the community, however he said a list of venues of concern the case visited would be released in the next hour.
Mr Saunders said he welcomed the results of more sewage testing, which showed virus fragments were no longer in Mudgee after two previous positive results.
“Mudgee has had another sewage test and the good news for Mudgee is that the test is negative,” Mr Saunders revealed.
UPDATE – AUGUST 11, 8.30AM
Dubbo mayor Stephen Lawrence says he’s “shocked but not surprised” at the announcement a person in the city has tested positive to Covid-19.
The Western NSW Health District confirmed the positive case late on Tuesday night and said the person was in isolation.
Nine close contacts of the case, which is linked to the West Dubbo Public School, have been identified and are in isolation.
The school has been closed, with staff and students ordered to isolate until they receive further advice from health officials.
Macquarie Anglican Grammar School has also been closed after a student at the school was identified as a close contact of the confirmed case.
Councillor Lawrence said council staff were working with NSW Health to ramp up capacity at a drive-through facility at Dubbo Showground.
“The advice from NSW Health is that we need to get 10 to 15 per cent of the community tested to get to the bottom of what’s going on in terms of community transmission,” he said.
“Things are still being worked on in terms of what will be announced later on this morning, it’s anticipated there will be changes to the public health regulations but we just need to wait, it’s really important not to get any inaccurate messages to the community.
“There’s every reason to be concerned. High rates of testing is what is needed over the coming days for NSW Health to get a handle of what’s going on.”
Cr Lawrence urged people to follow expert advice from NSW Health and get their information from reliable sources.
“I’d encourage people in this early stage, while we’re waiting for advice from the state government, to limit their movement as much as possible.
“Apart from MAGS and West Dubbo Public schools are open and people can take their children to school.
“My thoughts are with the person in Dubbo that we know has got Covid-19, it must be incredibly difficult for them. My thoughts are with the entire community, particularly people whose businesses are going to be affected by this.
“I think we’re in good position to respond strongly, we have a good track record of community compliance and community effort in dealing with Covid-19 and we will get through this by everyone sticking together and everyone doing the right thing.”
UPDATE – AUGUST 10, 11PM
One confirmed case of Covid-19 has been detected in the Dubbo Regional local government area after the virus was detected in local sewage.
State MP Dugald Saunders posted on Facebook late on Tuesday night to confirm the individual was isolating after becoming symptomatic on August 9 and getting tested on August 10.
Western NSW Local Health District posted the same statement confirming the new case.
A statement posted on their website confirms the case is associated with the Dubbo West Public School community.
Dubbo West Public School will be closed to all staff and students on Wednesday, August 11 for intensive cleaning.
“All staff and students are asked to isolate until you receive further advice,” the school posted on their website.
Mr Saunders said it was not yet known how transmission occurred.
“Nine close contacts who have been identified to date, are in isolation, and either have been tested, or will be tested as soon as possible,” Mr Saunders wrote.
“Investigations and contact tracing is continuing.”
Fragments of Covid-19 were previously detected in Dubbo sewage samples taken on August 3 and August 5.
“While Dubbo residents are urged to limit their movements in the community at this time, widespread Covid-19 testing is critical,” Mr Saunders wrote.
“Anyone in Dubbo who is currently experiencing even mild cold-like symptoms is asked to come forward immediately for testing.
“Other concerned residents, and people who may have recently experienced cold-like symptoms are also urged to be tested.”
The local health district is increasing testing capacity at the drive-through testing clinic at the Dubbo Showground, which will open at 8am.
Entry is on Wingewarra St.
The Covid-Safe clinic at the Manera Plaza on 77 Myall St has now undergone intensive cleaning and will be operating as normal between 8am and 4.30pm seven days a week.
“Please note that Covid-19 testing is not available at Dubbo Base Hospital,” Mr Saunders wrote.
“This service has been relocated to the Covid Safe testing clinic at Manera Plaza.”
Additional testing services are also being established at Wellington Health Service, opening from 10am.
Visitor restrictions will be implemented at both Dubbo Base and Wellington hospitals.
More to come.
EARLIER – AUGUST 10
Results from the latest round of Covid sewage testing in Dubbo and Mudgee are expected to come back overnight, with communities on high alert and in fear of a potential lockdown after multiple previous positive test results were recorded.
Covid fragments were found in sewage samples taken from Mudgee on August 2 and 4, and from Dubbo on August 4 and 5.
Western NSW Local Health District chief executive officer Scott McLachlan said more sewage testing was done in both locations on Monday, with the results expected to come back overnight.
He said despite the positive sewage test results, no confirmed Covid cases had been detected in the district and a person in Molong who previously had the virus had recovered and was no longer classified as an active case.
Since Saturday more than 2100 tests have been carried out.
“The sewage testing is just one sampling and detection tool that we’ve got … what we’re really looking for is to identify the person or people that have Covid in both Dubbo and Mudgee,” Mr McLachlan said.
“Their potential exposure and connections with close contacts will be the biggest determinant of what happens in terms of any lockdown or restrictions.
“Those sewage detections do mean we’ve had someone with Covid in our region.”
Communities in western NSW “should be prepared for cases of this Delta Strain in our backyard”, Mr McLachlan said.
“There’s no question that if we do have cases in the region, then I think a lockdown and restrictions will be considered and probably necessary.
“We know that for us to stay in front of the Delta virus, it’s unfortunately going to be necessary at some stage.
“The Delta virus is spreading so quickly, it’s more infectious than anything we’ve seen before … the last thing we want is to end up in a situation like Sydney.”
Mr McLachlan urged communities not to complacent about the risk and encouraged them to get vaccinated.
“We know there’s been a level of apathy in some of rural and remote communities.
“It could be in any of our communities any day of the week so I really would caution about that apathy and feeling that ‘it’ll be okay’.”
More than a month ago when a vaccination team visited Bourke, Mr McLachlan said half of the appointments on offer for Pfizer vaccinations were left vacant, but he said in recent weeks there had been a big uptake in the number of people getting vaccinated.
“In the last two weeks, we saw over 28,000 people with a shot of vaccination into their arms,” Mr McLachlan said.
“That’s a huge volume in western NSW, it’s a significant increase on the fortnight before that.
“In the last fortnight, we’ve seen nearly a doubling in the young people getting vaccinated as well, it’s been great to see, particularly the 20, 30 and 40-year-old groups coming forward to get vaccinated with both the AstraZeneca and Pfizer.”
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