The daily 11am COVID update and news conference from NSW Premier Gladys Berijiklian has become a sought after resource for information for people across the state.
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The latest testing and positive case numbers, as well as restriction updates are delivered from the premier, NSW chief health officer Dr Kerry Chant and NSW health minister Brad Hazzard and others. The hope is to ensure that our community is well informed. But when random, comments without additional explanation are made by the powers-that-be, it does little to put the community at ease or in a position of complete understanding.
This was the case at Monday's conference. Dr Chant mentioned areas of concern for increased testing but she provided no additional information as to why these were areas of concern. Two of the locations listed were enough to send the people of the Wingecarribee Shire into a complete panic. Those locations were Buradoo and Mittagong. None of the media attending the conference presented a question regarding any possibility of regional exposure.
Checking the NSW Health website, there was one case listed in the Wingecarribee. But nothing else was available - no information regarding whether or not this positive case was infectious in the community and no details about possible exposure sites. The community, which has been for the most part, following the latest COVID regulations - registering movements with QR Codes, wearing face masks indoors and avoiding identified lockdown areas - is left wondering what next? Are there new exposure sites? Have they been to any of them? Has the dreaded virus once again reached this regional area? There were no answers forthcoming with any haste. Numerous inquiries regarding the aforementioned questions were made and several hours later still none had been answered by the authorities.
The search finally revealed a doctor from Campbelltown Hospital, who lives in the Wingecarribee, had tested positive, but he had not been out in the community. People are listening, even hanging off every word that comes from our leaders, to find out what is happening - especially when the worst cases are so close to home. Throw away lines such as areas of "concern for increased testing..." followed by a reference to your home town, but no further explanation, are simply not good enough.
Jackie Myers,