Gladys Berejiklian deemed casual contact, tested for Covid after Adam Marshall case

The NSW Premier has been tested for Covid-19 after it was revealed she was in the same room as the agriculture minister who tested positive.

The NSW Premier has returned a negative result for Covid-19 after being in the same room as Nationals MP Adam Marshall.

Mr Marshall returned a positive result early on Thursday morning and has been in isolation since Tuesday evening after he learned he had dinner at the same Paddington restaurant as a positive case on Monday.

Gladys Berejiklian said she was deemed a casual contact and was tested early today, returning. a negative result before fronting the media a couple of hours later.

“Health has made their assessments and deemed that I am a casual contact. I was tested very early this morning and isolated and returned a negative test a couple of hours ago and I will continue to follow health advice,” Ms Berejiklian said.

NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian was tested for Covid. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Damian Shaw

“Since the pandemic has started, this is perhaps the scariest period that NSW is going through, and Dr Chant (chief health officer Dr Kerry Chant) and I are of equal view on that.

“It is a very contagious variant but at the same time we are at this stage comfortable that the settings that are in place are the appropriate settings, but that is so long as everybody does the right thing.”

The NSW Premier was in the same room at parliament when Mr Marshall was in attendance but she told reporters she had no contact with him.

“I was interviewed and had zero contact,” she said.

“I was there for a short time, addressed the crowd and I didn't have contact with him whatsoever.

“As with all casual contacts it’s up to (NSW) Health to reassess that.”

NSW chief health officer Dr Kerry Chant agreed that advice could be upgraded if there were further chains of transmission at the event.

“If there is additional transmission, we will be the first to upgrade any advice,” she said.

Ms Berejiklian also confirmed Sydney would not be going into lockdown and the existing measures would stay in place.

Agriculture minister Adam Marshall tested positive. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Gaye Gerard

The NSW Parliament was thrown into chaos after Mr Marshall attended a budget speech and a dinner with other MPs while he was unknowingly infected with the coronavirus.

There are fears the Tuesday night dinner hosted by the NSW National Party at Parliament House to celebrate the state budget could have acted as a “superspreader event” even though there have been no other confirmed infections among attendees as of Thursday morning.

Health Minister Brad Hazzard was told by his own department to self-isolate because he is a possible close contact, and Deputy Premier John Barilaro has voluntarily gone into isolation because he was in the same room with Mr Marshall while he was potentially infectious.

Mr Hazzard has since been deemed a casual contact and returned a negative result.