Shellharbour mayor Chris Homer Covid positive after attending LGNSW Special Conference
Shellharbour mayor Chris Homer has tested positive to Covid after attending a NSW local government conference, sparking concerns of mass a mass outbreak among councillors.
Illawarra Star
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Shellharbour mayor Chris Homer has tested positive for Covid less than 24 hours after attending the three-day LGNSW Special Conference in Sydney.
The mayor was joined by Cr Moira Hamilton, Cr Kellie Marsh, Cr Maree Edwards and Cr Rob Petreski from Shellharbour Council at the largely mask-free conference at the Hyatt Regency in Sydney’s CBD.
More than 800 councillors attended the event, which ran from Monday to Wednesday, with a gala dinner at the Fullerton Hotel held on the Tuesday evening.
Cr Homer returned home on Wednesday morning given the unfolding flooding events around the region.
He spent Wednesday surveying flood zones in the city’s west with Cr Marsh and council directors, and it wasn’t until late in the evening that he found out he had Covid.
“I was at home last night watching TV quite late and my girlfriend had just done a RAT, which came back positive,” Cr Homer said.
“She said maybe I should get tested so at around 11.30pm I went to a service station in Albion Park Rail to get a test and it came back with two red lines.
“My girlfriend looked like she had the flu and had been coughing so there’s some conjecture where I got it from.
“I have a little bit of a sore throat, I’m a touch raspy and I have the slightest headache, which I don’t normally get, but other than that I’m good.”
The positive result comes just over a month since Cr Homer revealed he was undergoing treatment for prostate cancer and he was concerned catching Covid could effect his radiation treatment.
“I rang this morning because I thought [my radiation treatment for Thursday] might have to be canned,” he said.
“They changed things around to give me the last slot of the day when no one would be there. They come down in full PPE gear and put me in the gear as well.
“But fortunately I am still able to get the treatment because I thought I might not.”
Cr Homer, who is triple vaccinated, confirmed he would be isolating for the next seven days with face-to-face meetings being moved online.
Five councillors from Wollongong attended including mayor Gordon Bradbery, deputy mayor Tania Brown, Cr David Brown, Cr Cath Blakey, Cr John Dorahy, Cr Elisha Aitken and Cr Cameron Walters.
“I was surprised by the lack of Covid measures,” Cr Blakey told The Illawarra Star while waiting for a PCR test on Thursday morning.
“There was some hand sanitiser around and it was a big hall with a high ceiling, but it was a strange feeling.
“There aren’t any legislative requirements so it’s all up to individual responsibility, but when there’s 800 people in a room it’s impossible to social distance. Venue and catering staff were wearing masks, but not many delegates were.
“It was great to be able to be together in person, but when we know the risks of Covid, it could easily become a spreading event.”
Kiama mayor Neil Rielly, deputy mayor Imogen Draisma and Cr Karen Renkema-Lang were also at the conference.
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