Madison Behringer is one of the owners of the Cooked Goose Café in Hyams Beach, one of the five locations visited by a confirmed COVID case from Melbourne.
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Her business received the NSW Health alert at 9.30pm and closed the café the next day because eight of her staff, her husband and herself were working when the confirmed case visited on Sunday, 23 May between 10am and 12pm.
"So we've closed the shop, all our staff are isolating, we are all getting COVID tested today and we will be needing to get the shop professionally deep cleaned and sanitised before we can think about reopening," said Mrs Behringer.
She said her staff were supporting each other on their online group chat.
"People are messaging each other with information on where to get tested and everyone's doing the right thing so it's been good to see," she said.
"Everyone's keeping their chin ups."
She said none of her staff have reported any symptoms.
The confirmed case had visited the café 10 days prior to when the NSW health alert was issued, which was Mrs Behringer's main concern.
"It is worrying to think how many people you can come into contact with in those 10 days and obviously we have been open in those 10 days," she said.
She said most of her clientele were tourists visiting the area as Hyams Beach had a small amount of permanent residents and she was worried about it spreading to other areas.
"I just hope that is an isolated case but I guess over the coming days we will be able to tell," she said.
Mrs Behringer and her husband Riley Hooper purchased The Cooked Goose Café, formally called the Hyams Beach Store and Café, in October last year.
"So it hasn't actually been that long but owning the business, especially over this busy summer period, has been fantastic," she said.
"I think because the international borders had closed and the domestic borders had been closed on and off as well, a lot of people are travelling to the South Coast.
"Summer was very busy. We were managing capacity limits, social distancing and everyone checks in when they come in.
"It's been wonderful owning the business and this is just a bump in the road that we'll work through."
She urged people to support affected businesses once it all settles down.
"Jervis Bay is such a wonderful little pocket of the world and I hope people aren't too apprehensive to travel back to the area and support local businesses once everything settles," she said.
For a list of local testing clinics and their operating hours, visit: www.islhd.health.nsw.gov.au/services-clinics/public-health-unit/infectious-diseases/covid-19-latest-advice-and-resources-6
Illawarra Shoalhaven Local Health District is working to establish a number of additional pop-up testing clinics and will post up-to-date information on their Facebook page: www.facebook.com/IllaShoalHealth
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