Why NSW hasn’t introduced restrictions despite Covid-19 positive family visiting Jervis Bay

While Victoria settles in for a longer lockdown, NSW has ruled out restrictions even after a family tested positive to Covid-19. This is why.

NSW is facing a serious new Covid-19 threat after a Victorian man and his family tested positive to the virus after holidaying on the state’s south coast — but one expert has explained why authorities have not introduced restrictions.

The state is on high alert after the Victorian man and his wife, son and daughter all tested positive to Covid-19 after holidaying on the state’s south coast.

So far NSW authorities have not announced any restrictions despite Victoria extending its circuit-breaker lockdown for another seven days as cases continue to grow, fuelled by an Indian variant known as Kappa.

NSW chief health officer Dr Kerry Chant said they were working with Victorian authorities to understand the timing of the family’s illness as it was unclear whether the man was the source of the virus.

“If this gentleman was the source for those individuals then they were not infectious potentially when they were in NSW,” she said.

If it’s found that one of the man’s family members was actually the source of the infection, this means the family were potentially infectious for longer.

Overnight NSW Health updated its exposure sites to include venues the family visited as far back as May 19.

Melbourne University clinical epidemiologist Professor Nancy Baxter said someone in the family was likely “very infectious” as the entire family had contracted the virus.

“It does make you concerned about transmission in NSW,” she said.

The more infectious nature of the Kappa variant would also be of concern, she said.

But there may be several reasons why NSW authorities were not yet panicking about the emergence of the new cases.

RELATED: NSW authorities hunt contacts after virus scare

NSW chief health officer Dr Kerry Chant during a press conference at the vaccination hub at Sydney Olympic Park. Picture: NCA NewsWire/Jeremy Piper

Sampling of the sewage surveillance system has so far not found any signs of Covid-19 in the areas impacted.

Dr Chant said samples were collected from St George’s Basin sewage treatment plan, which receives sewage from the Sanctuary Point area, south of Jervis Bay, on May 18 and 25.

“There were no covid detections at that time,” she said.

Dr Chant said authorities would arrange sampling at Vincentia on Wednesday, and there were no detections from sampling at Goulburn on May 19 and 26.

“As is usual we increase the frequency of our sewage surveillance when we have concerns that people may have been infectious in the community,” she said.

Prof Baxter said the lack of detections would be a ‘very positive sign” for authorities.

“Because the testing is very sensitive, it picks up even very small amounts of the virus excreted,” she said.

She said the family also went camping so it was probably a lower risk trip than if they had gone to Sydney for example, eaten out three meals a day and visited crowded tourist sites.

Prof Baxter also pointed out that the family were also in the area on May 23 and 24, which was more than a week ago.

“The peak for people developing covid after exposure is within five days,” she said.

Although the Kappa variant may be different, Prof Baxter said if it was more infectious it would likely be detected earlier rather than later.

“They should then be able to start detecting it in wastewater now,” she said.

“I think this is giving them (authorities) some reassurance but obviously everyone is on edge right now.”

Anyone who lives in or has visited Jervis Bay since May 22 has been asked to keep an eye out for cold-like symptoms and to get tested immediately. NSW Health has also released more venues of concern dating back to May 19.

While Victorian authorities have pointed to Kappa as being highly infectious and transmitted via “fleeting” contact, NSW authorities say this is something they have dealt with before.

“We have had occasions ourselves where we have had transmission with very minimal contact,” Dr Chant said.

She pointed to the state’s experience with the Berala BWS cluster, where people who had visited the bottle shop became infected.

“In some circumstances, at some times, covid can be transmitted by very minimal contact,” she said.

RELATED: Victorian authorities describe variant as ‘absolute beast’

NSW residents are on high alert after a Victorian family who tested positive for Covid-19 holidayed in Jervis Bay. Picture: NCA NewsWire/Joel Carrett

While Dr Chant acknowledged that the Kappa variant appeared to be a more transmissible strain in general, the state’s contact tracing and its previous experience of how incidental transmission could be, had led to a “very precautionary approach”.

“That’s why we often do that ‘stop and stay’, hold people in isolation for that little bit of extra time until we understand what the risk profile in the setting is,” she said.

She said authorities would also be reviewing CCTV footage to do a full assessment of the risk.

NSW exposure sites include Shell Coles Express and Trappers Bakery in Goulburn, the Cooked Goose Cafe in Hyams Beach, the Green Patch campground in Jervis Bay and Coles in Vincentia Shopping Village.

Authorities say the family drove back to Melbourne on May 24 and the man reported symptoms on May 25, two days ahead of Victoria’s lockdown on May 27.

He was likely infectious for more than a week before being tested on June 1.

Prof Baxter said this may be one of the reasons why Victorian authorities decided to extend the state’s lockdown, although she believed they would have extended the lockdown anyway.

“This case has been in the community for seven days so I don’t think they had much choice,” she said.

[e-mail] | @charischang2