Hunter Covid: 24 new cases, region’s lockdown extended by another week

Rolling coverage: About 40 staff at Tomago Aluminium Smelter, which employs 1100 people, are in isolation. They’re believed to be close contacts to Sydneysiders who travelled to the Hunter.

The Hunter has recorded 24 new Covid cases, prompting health officials to extend the region’s lockdown by another week. It comes as 40 staff at Australia’s largest aluminium smelter were forced into isolation.

The new cases take the region’s total to 74 for this outbreak, and the overall Hunter New England Local Health District total to 77. No new cases were recorded in the New England.

Of the new cases, 14 were from Lake Macquarie, seven from Newcastle, two from Maitland and one from Port Stephens.

All were linked to known cases and six were infectious in the community.

RFBI Hawkins Masonic Village aged care at Edgeworth, where 11 aged care residents contracted Covid. Picture: Emily Burley.

Eleven of the cases were residents from aged care facility RFBI Hawkins Masonic Village at Edgeworth. One was a staff member, adding to two Covid-positive staff recorded yesterday.

The residents are being cared for at John Hunter Hospital with three receiving oxygen. None are in intensive care.

Statewide, 345 locally-acquired cases were recorded and at least 60 of those were infectious in the community. Two men in their 90s have died.

Meanwhile, about 40 staff at Tomago Aluminium Smelter are in isolation, as Covid threatens to slow production at the nation’s largest aluminium smelter.

About 40 workers from Tomago Aluminium smelter have gone into isolation. Picture: Adam Taylor.

Some of the staff are understood to be August 1 close contacts of the Sydneysiders who travelled to the Hunter, potentially sparking the region’s outbreak.

The smelter employs about 1100 people and operates around the clock. The number of workers in isolation is expected to grow.

Also in Port Stephens a construction site has closed after five workers tested positive.

The tradespeople were working on new stages of the Sunrise Over 50s Retirement Community at Bobs Farm.

The workers did not have contact with residents living in completed stages of the development, who were notified of the outbreak in a letter from management on Wednesday night.

The region’s peak business body has called for a stronger police presence. Picture: John Grainger.

In the letter, Sunrise communities manager Jeff Griffiths said work at the site had temporarily stopped as a precautionary measure.

“The building company has reviewed the construction schedule from Monday and has isolated these contractors’ movements to three homes at the rear of the construction zone and to the construction site’s communal amenities,” Mr Griffiths said.

“Deep cleaning will now take place in all the areas where the subcontractors were within the construction site.”

Work on a Port Stephens retirement community has halted amid a Covid outbreak. Generic image. Picture: Thomas Kienzle.

Mr Giffiths said all workers on the site would undergo Covid testing and could only return after a negative result.

He told The Newcastle News the construction workers were local to the Hunter.

A Hunter New England Health spokesman confirmed all five of the infected people were in strict isolation.

He said the men lived together in a share house at Maitland and there were no other close contacts.

Anyone who was on the site between August 2 and 9 is considered a casual contact and must isolate until they receive a negative result.

The Belmont Mass Vaccination Centre has been named an exposure site. Picture: Supplied.

The Hunter’s peak business body has urged the State Government to increase the compliance enforcement and provide more Hunter-specific health information.

“We need to stay focused on reducing transmission and that means coming down hard on compliance,” Business Hunter CEO Bob Hawes said.

“The Delta variant is clearly a game-changer and the Hunter region should no longer sit patiently by as rules are flouted.

“Another week of lockdown continues to add to the pinch on our economy, and the burden on business.”

THURSDAY’S ROLLING COVERAGE:

Labor MP slams governments in parliament

At 4.30pm

Federal Labor Shortland MP Pat Conroy has made a statement in parliament, blaming both levels of government for the Hunter’s Covid crisis.

Mr Conroy said the quarantine system, insufficient vaccines and the decision not to lock down Sydney right away has put the region in the position it’s in now.

“The lockdown has been extended another week because this government had two jobs to do this year — to deliver the vaccine and have a functioning national quarantine system — and they failed at both,” Mr Conroy said before Question Time.

“They aided and abetted an incompetent NSW Government, which didn’t lock down the eastern suburbs when they had the chance.

“They egged them on and they then assisted and aided in their stealing of Pfizer vaccines from the Hunter and Central Coast.

“My community is suffering because of the incompetence of this government.

“They’re furious, they’re scared and they’re worried about their health and their economic future, all because of the incompetence of this government.”

Federal Labor Shortland MP Pat Conroy said both the state and federal governments were at fault.

Construction outbreak at five cases

At 4pm

The number of Covid cases among workers at a Port Stephens construction site stands at five, up from the three cases reported earlier.

A Hunter New England Health spokesman confirmed all five of the infected people were in strict isolation.

He said the men lived together in a share house at Maitland and there were no other close contacts.

Anyone who was on the site between August 2 and 9 is considered a casual contact and must isolate until they receive a negative result.

A Port Stephens construction site has closed for deep cleaning. Generic image.

Covid alert for Tomago smelter

At 3.30pm

About 40 staff at Tomago Aluminium Smelter are in isolation, as Covid threatens to slow production at the nation’s largest aluminium smelter.

Some of the staff are understood to be August 1 close contacts of the Sydneysiders who travelled to the Hunter, potentially sparking the region’s outbreak.

The smelter employs about 1100 people and operates around the clock. The number of workers in isolation is expected to grow.

An aluminium smelter is on high alert. Generic image.Picture: Andrey Rudakov/Bloomberg.

Newcastle woman tests positive in Tuncurry

At 3pm

Hunter New England Health has confirmed a young Newcastle woman, who had been identified as a close contact, has tested positive to Covid-19 in Tuncurry.

A statement from the health service said her positive test, which came back on Monday, was added to the Newcastle figures because her residential address was in the Hunter.

“We are aware a young woman identified as a close contact travelled from Newcastle to Tuncurry on 5 August. She was tested the same day, August 5, and Covid-19 was not detected. She subsequently tested positive for Covid-19 on a swab collected on 9 August,’’ the statement said.

“The confirmed case is currently isolating in the Tuncurry region, and NSW Police have been in contact with the person and their household contacts to ensure they are all following isolation requirements. All household contacts returned a negative test on 9 August and have been isolating from this date.

“Due to the individual’s residential address, this case has been previously reported in the Newcastle LGA case numbers on the NSW Health website.’’

A Newcastle woman has tested positive on the Mid-North Coast. Picture: NCA Newswire/Gaye Gerard.

Answers to Covid test delay concerns

At 2.30pm

Some Covid tests from the Hunter will now be sent to laboratories in Queensland, Western Australia and Victoria to ensure the quicker turnaround of results.

Delays of up to five days have been reported by people who have waited hours in line for testing.

Independent Lake Macquarie MP Greg Piper said on his Facebook page he had spoken to Laverty Pathology, which privately runs the McDonald Jones Stadium testing clinic at Broadmeadow, after he was contacted by a number of people regarding lengthy results delays.

Member for Lake Macquarie Gregory Piper has asked for answers on lengthy delays for Covid test results. Picture: Joel Carrett.

“I totally understand the stress these labs are under at the moment but people waiting five days for a result is not good,” Mr Piper said in the Facebook post.

“Laverty’s CEO has sincerely apologised for the delays. The company is now sending thousands of tests to their labs in Queensland, Western Australia and Victoria to assist with the backlog.

“They are hoping to have results delivered back to people in less than the three-day benchmark, within the next day or two.

“Personally I accept that, and I acknowledge the people in those labs who are working their backsides off, but the Federal Government should be ensuring these labs have the capacity to return test results in less than three days.

“Not only does a five-day wait have an emotional impact on people, it also has an economic impact as many of those people are losing five days of work to wait for a test result.”

Business calls for increased compliance

At 2pm

The Hunter’s peak business body has urged the State Government to increase the compliance enforcement, amid rising case numbers and an extended lockdown.

Business Hunter CEO Bob Hawes said the region needed to stay focused on reducing transmission, and coming down hard on compliance was the way to go.

“We saw double-figures of new cases yesterday and today which has meant another week of lockdowns. While this is probably not a huge surprise to people, it still adds to the pinch on our economy, and the burden on business,” Mr Hawes said.

Bob Hawes is calling from a stronger police presence during Hunter lockdown. Picture: Supplied.

“It’s clear that we’ll only get out of lockdowns now if our case numbers reduce.

“Stay at home, follow the rules, and if you’re thinking about bending them, know that your decisions have serious consequences, not just to your hip pocket but to livelihoods.

“I support the suggestion that the NSW Police be supported with boots on the ground by the Australian Defence Force. The Hunter needs to be one of the priority regions before things get more out of hand.”

Mr Hawes also also called for more Hunter-specific health information to be made available.

“The Hunter is the second largest economy in NSW and our business resilience and bounce-back post-Covid will impact the entire state,” he said.

“We have been advising businesses not hold back on ensuring their operations remained safe throughout this outbreak.

“Things will look very different if industry is closed down, so business owners and site managers need to be strict about who is coming on to their premises.

“If next week we are in a similar to position to where we are now, we can anticipate further lockdowns and further damage to the local economy.”

Hunter’s testing stats revealed

At 12.15pm

Testing across the Hunter has continued to swell as more exposure sites are announced and close contacts are identified.

One of the biggest testing sites, McDonald Jones Stadium at Broadmeadow, continues to be inundated with long queues.

Laverty Pathology, which runs the testing clinic, said it’s an extremely busy site conducting around 3000 tests each day.

Sites within the Hunter New England Local Health District were conducting more than 7000 tests per day in total.

The drive through Covid-19 testing clinic at McDonald Jones Stadium, with between 200 to 250 cars passing through each hour. Picture: David Swift.

High demand in Newcastle prompted an extension of hours for the Broadmeadow site, now operating from 7am until 10pm.

“NSW is continuing to conduct record numbers of Covid-19 testing and the team at Laverty Pathology is processing a large proportion of these daily tests, up to 30,000 per day, and working around the clock in support of the community,” a spokesperson said.

Despite significant demand, there were no plans at this stage for Laverty to open any additional testing sites in the Hunter.

Testing numbers across the Hunter last week showed a considerable spike with the announcement of the first lockdown, with numbers tripling on Thursday and Friday in some parts.

The long lines at the Broadmeadow testing clinic. Picture: David Swift

From Monday, August 2 to Friday, August 6, the Lake Macquarie region recorded the most tests, with 12,373 swabs over five days.

Newcastle recorded almost 8000 tests, while Maitland followed with close to 5000.

Port Stephens had 2407 tests over five days, while Cessnock had 1527 tests and Cessnock 1527.

Further into the Hunter Valley, testing numbers saw 876 recorded in Singleton, 427 in Muswellbrook and 387 in the Upper Hunter.

24 new cases prompt lockdown extension

At 11am

The Hunter has recorded 24 new Covid cases, prompting health officials to extend the region’s lockdown by another week.

The new cases take the region’s total to 74 for this outbreak, and the overall Hunter New England Local Health District total to 77. No new cases were recorded in the New England.

Of the new cases, 14 were from Lake Macquarie, seven from Newcastle, two from Maitland and one from Port Stephens.

All were linked to known cases and six were infectious in the community.

Eleven of the cases were residents from aged care facility RFBI Hawkins Masonic Village at Edgeworth. One was a staff member, adding to two Covid-positive staff recorded yesterday.

The residents are being cared for at John Hunter Hospital with three receiving oxygen. None are in intensive care.

Eleven residents from RFBI Hawkins Masonic Village aged care at Edgeworth are in hospital. Picture: Emily Burley.

Outbreak at construction site

At 10.30am

A Port Stephens construction site has closed after three workers tested positive for Covid-19.

The tradespeople were working on new stages of the Sunrise Over 50s Retirement Community at Bobs Farm, and did not have contact with residents living in completed stages of the development.

Residents were notified of the cases in a letter from management on Wednesday night.

“We can confirm that the building company decided to temporarily cease all construction on site as a precautionary measure due to the three workers being advised of the positive Covid-19 result,” communities manager Jeff Griffiths said in the letter.

“The building company has reviewed the construction schedule from Monday and has isolated these contractors’ movements to three homes at the rear of the construction zone and to the construction site’s communal amenities.

“Deep cleaning will now take place in all the areas where the subcontractors were within the construction site.”

Mr Giffiths said all workers on the site would undergo Covid testing.

He told The Newcastle News the construction workers were local to the Hunter.

A Port Stephens construction site has closed. Generic image. Picture: Dan Himbrechts.

More court trials postponed

At 10am

Newcastle District Court spent the morning again vacating numerous jury trials, pre-empting a decision from the NSW Premier to extend the Hunter lockdown.

Following last week, the courts had to delay jury trials, rescheduling them for next year, and again on Thursday, had to do the same for jury trials starting next week.

Judge alone trials are still able to go ahead.

The Hunter outbreak is impacting Newcastle District Court trials. Picture: Darren Pateman.

The latest exposure venues

At 7.30am

The Hunter’s exposure site list has grown again with the below venues added by NSW Health late on Wednesday.

People who attended the below venues are considered close contacts and must immediately seek testing and isolate for 14 days, and wait for advice from NSW Health:

• Boho Black Cafe, Glendale on Tuesday, August 3 from 9am-9.30am
• Super Vape Store, Charlestown on Thursday, August 5 from 3pm-3.30pm

An infected person visited the Newcastle Hotel, Islington. Picture: Google Maps.

People who attended the below venues are considered casual contacts and must isolate until a negative test result is received:

• Hunter Sports Centre Glendale (Schools Zone Athletics Carnival) on Tuesday, August 3 from 9.45am-12.30pm
• Terry White Chemist, Cardiff on Tuesday, August 3 from 10.44am-10.50am
• Newcastle Basketball Stadium, Broadmeadow, on Tuesday, August 3 from 8.15pm-9.30pm (amended times following further investigation)
• The Newcastle Hotel, Islington on Sunday, August 1 from 9.45pm-11.30pm
• Mad Mex Fresh Mexican, Cameron Park on Thursday, August 5 from 12.50p-1pm
• The Grumpy Baker, The Junction on Tuesday, August 3 from 12.26pm-12.28pm
• Hunter Strata Management, Maitland on Thursday, August 5 from 8.30am-5pm and Monday, August 9 from 9.20am-11.30am
• NSW Health Belmont Mass Vaccination Centre on Thursday, August 5 from 11am-11.45am
• Woodrising Discount Drug Store, Woodrising on Thursday, August 5 from 4.32pm-4.45pm
• Woolworths Cardiff on Monday, August 2 from 1pm-6pm, Tuesday, August 3 from 7am-10.45am, and Saturday, August 7 from 1.15pm-2pm