Australia: Negative cover test? Isolate anyhow

Australia: Thousands urged 

to isolate even after negative 

test, advice says

SMH,

21 July, 2020

Thousands of NSW residents who may have been exposed to coronavirus have been told to isolate for 14 days even after receiving a negative COVID-19 test.

The latest advice was issued as known clusters of the virus in Sydney continued to grow on Tuesday while the source of two outbreaks and several cases of community transmission remained unknown.

Anyone identified as a close contact, or who was at the Crossroads Hotel in Casula or the Thai Rock restaurant in Wetherill Park at the times and dates listed by NSW Health, must self-isolate for 14 days, regardless of test results.

"It is critical that anyone feeling unwell – even with the mildest of symptoms such as a runny nose or scratchy throat – seeks testing and self-isolates until they get the result," the statement from NSW Health said.

"Stay at home, and do not go to work or catch public transport until you are cleared of COVID-19. Even if you get a negative test, stay in isolation for 14 days."

In the event of a negative test, a 14-day isolation period will not be enforced, but it is recommended by NSW Health.

The government is also urging people to avoid non-essential travel and social gatherings.

Thirteen new cases of coronavirus in NSW were confirmed in the 24 hours to 8pm on Monday, as the Crossroads Hotel outbreak in south-west Sydney grew to 50 cases.

Late on Tuesday a case also merged in the Hunter/New England regions. The source of the infection was a visitor from Sydney.

Health authorities have urged residents of the Hunter/New England regions to be on high alert for symptoms after a man in his 60s in the Port Stephens area was diagnosed with coronavirus.

Dr David Durrheim, the Hunter New England Health public health controller for the COVID-19 response, said people in the area should watch for symptoms.

In a message posted to Facebook, Dr Durrheim said the Sydney outbreaks were a "real reason for concern".

"We would strongly advise anybody from the Hunter New England region to stay at home rather than visiting Sydney at this stage unless absolutely necessary," he said.

NSW Labor's health spokesman Ryan Park said the government had created confusion around safe travel in NSW during the COVID-19 pandemic.

"Gladys Berejiklian is telling residents in south-west Sydney to avoid non-essential activities. Then she says people should carry on as normal," Mr Park said.

"All while a Hunter health bureaucrat is telling people to avoid Sydney. What does that mean for the rest of the state?"

On Tuesday, cases linked to the Thai Rock restaurant outbreak in south-west Sydney swelled to 26, and a NSW Health spokeswoman said the source of that cluster remained under investigation.

The source of the Batemans Bay Soldiers Club cluster is still unknown and contact tracers are also working to find the source of cases linked to businesses across Sydney.

Separate cases have been linked to the Holy Duck restaurant in Chippendale, Paddington's Love Supreme pizzeria and the Village Inn in Paddington.

However, NSW Health has not linked these to any existing outbreaks. A NSW Health spokeswoman said cases who attended those venues, as well as a case who went to Westfield Mount Druitt, were "detected due to members of the community coming forward for testing".

A case involving a receptionist from Astley Medical Centre in St Marys was also being investigated, the health spokeswoman said. The receptionist last worked on July 15, and patients from the medical centre have been asked to monitor for symptoms.

People who attended eight venues across Sydney and the state, including Thai Rock and the Batemans Bay Soldiers Club, have been told to isolate and get tested immediately after people picked up coronavirus infections at those venues.

People who visited 22 other venues across greater Sydney and Wollongong have been urged to monitor for symptoms after those businesses were visited by a known case.