Coronavirus: Interview ‘refusal’ claims debunked by health department data

Daniel And­rews’s claim that ‘one or two’ coronavirus-positive people ‘on any given day’ have refused to be interviewed by contact tracers has been shown to be false.

Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews in Melbourne on Wednesday. Picture: Ian Currie

Victorian Premier Daniel And­rews’s claim that “one or two” coronavirus-positive people “on any given day” have refused to be interviewed by contact tracers has been shown to be false, after his health department released data showing no one has refused an interview in the past month.

Mr Andrews made the claim on Sunday, while under pressure to explain contact tracing failures, and repeated similar claims on Monday and Tuesday.

“Let me explain to you why there might be 5 or 6 or 7 per cent of people who we can’t get to in 24 hours,” the Premier said on Sunday, with reference to Depart­ment of Health and Human Services interviews with coronavirus-positive people and their close contacts.

“On any given day there are one or two people who will not consent to being interviewed,” he said, suggesting there may be some among Sunday’s 63 cases.

“There will be one or two: ‘I don’t want to be interviewed.’ There will be one or two or three who cannot be found, despite ringing as many times as we can, despite doorknocking, and that’s happening to every single close contact and every single positive case — we won’t be able to find them at home, or contact them, speak to them, within that 24-hour period.”

Asked how many people had refused to be interviewed and what could be done, Mr Andrews said: “Well I don’t know that there is much action we can take against someone … But I don’t use the example to be blaming those one or two people.”

On Tuesday, the Premier reiterated­: “There will from time to time be people who are not willing to be part of that (interview) process.”

In response to written questions submitted earlier this week regarding the numbers of corona­virus-positive people who had refused to be interviewed, a DHHS spokeswoman revealed: “No cases have been recorded as consistently refusing an interview since August 7.”

“Between 7 July and 7 August public health database reports there were 27 cases recorded as consistently refusing interview,’’ the spokeswoman confirmed.

“None are now considered as active­ cases. Ten of these cases were young people under the age of 18 … These are cases which consistently refuse to be interviewed and never complete an interview. Some cases may refuse on the first attempt and would be recorded as not interviewed against our 24-hour target­ but accept on a second or third attempt.’’

The news comes after the Premier claimed on August 4 that in 800 of 3000 cases when Australian Defence Force and DHHS staff conducted random contact tracing doorknocks, “the person who should have been isolating could not be found”.