Two-day delay between NSW Health alert and Campsie Centre’s COVID-19 warning

There was a 24- to 48-hour time lag between the Campsie shopping centre management sending out an alert to retailers and staff about COVID-19 cases reported at two shops and NSW Health alerting the public.

Health authorities have concluded multiple people had caught the virus in the Campsie Centre shopping mall, in Sydney’s south-west.

Health authorities have concluded multiple people had caught the virus in the Campsie Centre shopping mall.Credit: Janie Barrett

The Campsie Centre management notified all retailers and staff at its complex in Amy Street on Tuesday July 20 of the need for “urgent action” after staff at Tong Li Supermarket and Breadtop tested positive for COVID-19.

The shopping centre management said all people in the centre over recent days should get tested “as a matter of urgency”.

Campsie Centre COVID-19 alert from July 20.

“At this point we have heard nothing from the Health Department, contact tracers, or anyone else,” the notice said. “However, considering the virulent nature of the Delta strain of COVID we suggest that all people in the centre over the past few days get a test at the earliest opportunity.

“If this means your business has to close for a day or more, then do so.”

A Campsie resident said he was concerned that the NSW Health alert about the cases linked to Breadtop was not released until 24 hours later on Wednesday July 21, and that the second case at Tong Li Supermarket was not reported by NSW Health until 48 hours later on Thursday July 22.

He said it appeared the contact tracing system was “breaking down under the stress and volume” of cases.

Canterbury business owner Attila Yilmaz said his 85-year-old father was in isolation but had not yet heard from contact tracers after going to the pharmacy in the Campsie Centre on July 22 and July 23. He said some shops were still trading on the first day, but fewer were open by the second.

Mr Yilmaz said one of his staff members received a call from NSW Health contact tracers on July 27.

“She was at the Campsie Centre on 17 July and has been active in the community for the last 10 days,” he said. “She always wears a mask and presently has no symptoms.”

The Herald has contacted the shopping centre for comment.

A spokeswoman for NSW Health said risk assessments on venues linked to a COVID-19 infection are carried out to determine whether other people may have been exposed and whether there was a public health risk.

“Public health experts will determine if there is a public health reason for those potential exposure sites to be listed as venues of concern,” the spokeswoman said.

“The public is alerted as quickly as possible when venues are identified where a risk assessment indicates potential exposure may have occurred, unless the list of people potentially exposed has already been obtainable through the venue or other records.”

The spokeswoman said the risk assessment could change depending on information received from case interviews, or if ongoing investigations provided evidence of further transmission at a venue.

“NSW Health does not disclose details about venues of concern unless there is a public health reason,” the spokeswoman said.

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