Colac testing blitz as employers brace for spread
More than 2000 Colac region residents have been tested for coronavirus since the town recorded its first case last Friday.
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More than 2000 Colac region residents have been tested for coronavirus since the town recorded its first case last Friday.
Experts from Barwon Health have been working with Colac Area Health to prioritise the region’s testing and ensure results are returned within 48 hours.
Contact tracing has linked four more cases of coronavirus to the region’s Australian Lamb Company cluster, bringing the outbreak to 17.
As of Wednesday, the Colac local government area had 26 active cases of coronavirus, while
a case included in Tuesday’s tally was removed.
ALC – which employs around 700 people – is in a two-week enforced lockdown while all staff employed at the Colac facility are in quarantine.
“Colac Area Health organised pop-up testing on site where the majority of employees were
tested, with results sent to Geelong for analysis,” spokesman Richard Amos said.
The town’s other largest employers – Bulla Dairy Foods and AKD Softwoods – have not yet reported any cases.
Colac Chamber of Commerce vice president Alex McKenzie said there were fears the virus could have an even bigger economic impact on the town if cases were detected at either Bulla or AKD.
Bulla chief executive officer Allan Hood said the 500 staff at the Colac site were encouraged to be tested if they were feeling unwell, displaying symptoms of COVID-19 or had been
in close contact with a confirmed case of coronavirus.
Mr Hood said the company was following the outbreak and had acted proactively by introducing new hygiene and safety protocols, including the mandatory wearing of face masks for all external visitors and staff.
The company is also segregating team member’s shifts and break times to eliminate cross contamination and is conducting detailed contract tracing.
An AKD spokesman said while none of its staff members had tested positive, a number of employees who had been contact with confirmed cases were in insolation.
Trinity College, which has one confirmed case, will remain closed until August 3, with all students expected to complete remote learning during this period.
College principal Paul Clohesy said staff had contacted 80 close-contacts of the infected student to ensure they followed DHHS guidelines.
He said the school reached out to families after the department had not made contact with close-contacts of the cases days after receiving the information.
“The earlier the information gets out, the better,” Mr Clohesy said.
Delays in contact tracing are understood to now be under control.
Mayor Jason Schram praised the community for their self-imposed isolation and said more than 70 per cent of children had not gone to school this week following the outbreak.
“We’ve taken it upon ourselves to protect each other until this testing and contact tracing is complete,” Cr Schram said.
Local business owner Steven Watson, of Toyworld Colac, said the town was visibly quieter as people chose to self-isolate amid the outbreak.
He said COVID-19 pandemic would undoubtedly impact the viability of small businesses in the town.
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Originally published as Colac testing blitz as employers brace for spread