Comments from Chief Executive, Rohan Fitzgerald – 21 September
Western District Health Service (WDHS) has been advised of a positive COVID-19 case, who worked in Hamilton from Tuesday 14th to Thursday 16th September.
The person was a painter employed by a Melbourne company working at the Pedrina Park Pavilion construction site, who returned a positive test result in Melbourne.
We have since determined that at least one other person from the painting company, who was in Hamilton at the same time, has also tested positive.
Both workers stayed at the Hamilton Townhouse Motel, in Shakespeare Street for two nights on Tuesday 14th and Wednesday 15th September. The workers returned to Melbourne on Thursday.
Contact tracing interviews are continuing and any further exposure sites will be listed on the WDHS and Department of Health websites. We will be doing our best to keep the community informed.
Pedrina Park Pavilion construction site is listed as a Tier 1 exposure site and the Hamilton Townhouse Motel a Tier 2 site.
Anyone who has been to a Tier 1 site must get tested and isolate for 14 days from the date of exposure, regardless of test result. Their household secondary contacts (the people they live with) must also isolate for 14 days from the date of exposure.
If you have attended a Tier 2 site you must get tested and isolate until you receive a negative result.
The response from local business to the emerging risks, has been outstanding. Staff and tradies effected have quickly isolated and presented for testing at the WDHS drive-thru.
WDHS is extending the hours of its Drive-thru testing clinic on Wednesday and will be operating from 10am to 4pm. We are also opening a mass-testing clinic at the Hamilton Showgrounds from 8am to 6pm Thursday. A decision will be made on continuing to operate the mass-testing clinic, based on demand.
Until the mass-testing clinic has opened, I would request that only people who are symptomatic and those who have visited Tier 1 & 2 exposure sites present for testing.
Anyone who is unwell with any symptoms of COVID-19, no matter how mild, (such as fever, chills, cough, sore throat, runny nose, loss of sense of smell), should get tested immediately and stay at home.
It’s been fantastic to see our vaccination rates continue to rise with steady but significant progress each week.
This development is a stark reminder for those who remain unvaccinated to get the jab – it could save your life.
Nobody wants COVID-19, it’s a destructive disease that has caused significant distress and disruption world-wide. It may be hard for many of us to comprehend that COVID-19 has found its way into our community. Let’s be recognised for our compassion and humanity, acknowledging the tremendous suffering that people are experiencing at this time. Kindness counts – now more than ever.
FURTHER DETAILS:
The following exposure sites have been identified in Hamilton.
Some sites may not yet be listed on the Department of Health exposure sites website.
– Tier 1: Test and isolate for 14 days, regardless of the result
– Tier 2: Test and isolate until you receive a negative result
📅 14/09/2021 – 16/9/21
From 3.30pm 14/9 to 8.30am 16/9 (inclusive of 15/9)
📍 Hamilton Townhouse Motel, 27 Shakespeare Street, Hamilton (Tier 2)
📅 15/09/2021 – 7.00am to 5.30pm
📍 Pedrina Park Pavilion construction site, Hamilton (Tier 1)
📅 16/09/2021 – 7.00am to 5.30pm
📍 Pedrina Park Pavilion construction site, Hamilton (Tier 1)
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