Acting Chief Executive, Northern NSW Local Health District (NNSW HD) Lynne Weir has confirmed that the positive COVID-19 case thought to have been in Casino was not infectious at the time of their visit.
‘Further investigations into potential venues of concern related to a positive COVID-19 case from outside the District have confirmed that this person was not infectious in the Casino area as originally advised,’ said Ms Weir.
‘Comprehensive contact tracing has established that this person acquired their infection in the days after leaving Northern NSW on Saturday 21 August, upon returning to Sydney. There is no risk to the community from this person’s presence in the region.
‘Public Health teams take a precautious approach to risk and possible exposure sites when a case is first identified during initial investigations. We appreciate the community’s responsiveness in the wake of these concerns,’ she said.
The potential exposure of the community has led to increased testing at the Muli Muli Aboriginal Community.
‘In light of the current COVID-19 outbreak in broad regions of the state, this increased testing is a positive step,’ said Ms Weir.
‘There are no new confirmed cases of COVID-19 in residents of Northern NSW Local Health District.’
Sewage testing
Additional testing is now being carried out and additional sewage treatment plants are being included in the testing program from this week, including sites in Alstonville, Wardell, Evans Head, Coraki, Woodenbong and Kyogle.
Any positive detections of fragments are reported through the daily NSW Heath updates and online.
For four decades The Echo has printed the stories some people loved, some people hated, and some pretended not to read. If you want us to keep telling the truth, the real truth, not the sugar-coated version. We’ll need your support to keep the presses rolling. 
