Released traveller tests positive for coronavirus

A returned overseas traveller has tested positive to COVID-19 two days after being released from two-weeks of mandatory hotel quarantine.

The person visited a number of venues in Wollongong, as well as the Mootch & Me café in Brighton Le Sands, before they were notified of the positive result.

A returned overseas traveller has tested positive to COVID-19 two days after being released from two-weeks of mandatory hotel quarantine.

The scare has prompted an alert for people who visited any of 11 exposure sites in Sydney and on the NSW south coast to get tested immediately and remain in isolation until notified otherwise by NSW Health.

The case, involving a person from the Wollongong area, is the first outside hotel quarantine in NSW in three weeks.

The person, who returned two negative tests during quarantine, did not have any symptoms, NSW Health said, but underwent testing as part of a­ ­recently enhanced day-16 ­follow-up procedure.

As an additional cautionary measure, NSW Health has ­introduced a system of symptom checking and day-16 COVID-19 tests for overseas travellers who have been released from quarantine.

Results indicate the person has a low level of infection and their household contacts have all since returned negatives tests. Investigations suggest the case was acquired overseas, and not after release from ­quarantine.

On Tuesday, February 2, the person visited the Mootch & Me cafe in Bay Street, Brighton-Le-Sands, and Headlands Hotel at Austinmer Beach.

Also on the list of exposure sites are: Woolworths in Bulli; Corrimal Memorial Park, Corrimal; and Thirroul Beach (February 3); Sublime Point Walking Track, Maddens Plains; Figtree Grove Shopping Centre; Optus, Wollongong; Officeworks, Fairy Meadow (February 4); Officeworks, Fairy Meadow (February 5); and Bulli Beach Cafe, Bulli (February 6).

As well as urging anyone with the mildest of symptoms to come forward for testing, NSW Health has republished its list of 350 testing locations, saying many are open seven days a week.

NSW recorded zero locally acquired COVID-19 cases in the 24 hours to Sunday morning, with one new infection ­detected in hotel quarantine, marking three weeks since an ­infection was found in the ­community.