Hundreds may have been exposed to COVID-19 case at Sikh temple on New Year’s Day
Hundreds of Melbourne worshippers may have been exposed to a COVID-19 case during a tiny two-hour window.
Hundreds of people passed through a Melbourne Sikh temple during a two-hour window on New Year’s Day when a COVID-19 positive case visited.
Victorian health authorities on Tuesday urged anyone who visited the Keysborough temple at 198 Perry Road between 3pm and 5pm on January 1 to get tested immediately and quarantine for 14 days.
Temple secretary Barry Jandu said he only found out in the via the media on Monday morning that it was on the public alerts list.
“I found out yesterday morning - one of my friends called me up and they said they’ve just heard the temple’s been added,” Mr Jandu told NCA NewsWire.
“I was surprised that the media had found out beforehand in the morning and we were only contacted in the evening, which I think was a bit slow because Victoria should have learnt by now that we should be on top of these things straight away.
“From 3pm to 5pm we’d probably say a few hundred people would have come through the temple.”
Mr Jandu said one person that attended the temple at 8pm on New Year’s Day went to get tested at a Burwood site, but after explaining the circumstances, was told he didn’t require testing.
However, when he later attended a site in Keysborough, he was told to get tested and self-isolate for two weeks.
“What a difference - one site’s not testing him and the other site’s telling him you’ve got to self isolate for 14 days,” Mr Jandu said.
“To me that wasn’t right, not in this day and age.”
Mr Jandu said the temple had an attendant on the door on New Year’s Day who was reminding worshippers to wear a mask, social distance and sign in electronically with their phones.
It was now advising worshippers via its social media to get tested.
“We’re telling the community and word does spread pretty fast amongst the Sikh community,” he said.
The temple underwent a deep clean on Monday night and was used as a testing site on Tuesday.
Mr Jandu said he would decide on Wednesday whether it could re-open to worshippers.
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