Victorian Health Department messes up fish and chip shop exposure date, doesn’t tell owner

A Melbourne fish and chip shop was wrongly listed as an exposure site at a time it wasn’t open — and the owner only found out through Facebook.

A fish and chip shop owner had no idea his business had been listed as a Covid-19 exposure site – for a time it wasn’t open – until someone messaged him on Facebook.

To make matters worse, health authorities had published the wrong date and time of exposure online.

Mark Perrett was left “confused” on Tuesday night when he discovered Pier 33 Fish and Chips, at Brighton East, was deemed a Tier 2 exposure site after a positive case supposedly visited the restaurant on Thursday afternoon.

He had received no correspondence from the Health Department or contact tracers and only learnt of the listing from an opportunistic deep cleaning company that offered its services via Facebook.

Only after Mr Perrett called DHS on Wednesday to tell them the restaurant had not been open at the time listed did he receive contact – to say an infectious person had actually visited on Friday between 1.30pm and 3.30pm.

Pier 33 in Brighton East has been deemed a Tier 2 exposure site.

Mr Perrett, his wife, and other staff who prepared food at the fish and chippery on Thursday were tested on Wednesday morning and spent much of the day isolating.

He said the bungle had cost him a day’s trade as he had not been at the shop on Friday and could otherwise has opened the store on Wednesday night.

It also meant different staff who worked on Friday would have been chased up for testing.

“I thought we’d be a part of the investigation,” Mr Perrett said.

“What sort of investigation doesn’t include the site operator? Surely we’re worth speaking to.

“Maybe they would have called at some time but they didn’t call until after 12pm (on Wednesday) and that was to return my call.”

Mr Perrett, who has previously worked as a health and safety manager, said he reviewed CCTV footage from the store on Friday and was confident strict protocols had been followed.

“Covid is very serious and I fully support everything (the government) is doing, I just wish they’d involved us because we could have nailed this yesterday,” he said.

“The could have got the date right had they just called up.”

A DHS spokesman said all exposure sites were “investigated through follow-up interviews with cases”.

“Details of this exposure site have been modified following subsequent investigation,” the spokesman said.

He said “all information is subject to change”.

The spokesman did not answer questions as to why Mr Perrett had not been contacted prior to his restaurant being listed as an exposure site.