WA’s COVID-19 contact tracing manager reveals massive effort to prepare for state reopening
Contact tracers are preparing ahead of Western Australia’s scheduled reopening date as more places in the state are listed as potential exposure sites.
Key points:
- Contact tracing manager Ben Scalley says civil servants have been recruited across government to join contact tracing efforts
- Teams are based across the WA region including the South West, Northam and Broome
- There is a cautious approach behind listing Divers Tavern in Broome as an exposure site for a COVID case from Queensland
Locations in the South West, Kimberley and Goldfields have all been reported in recent alerts from WA Health, with crews on standby for the scheduled opening of the valves on February 5.
WA Health’s contact tracing unit, Ben Scalley, says 188 people based in Perth are dedicated to tracing the virus, with recruitment efforts underway to attract officials from across government departments to join the effort.
“We have trained public sector staff from all different government departments, as well as others in certain health roles, to help.”
Dr Scalley said staff based in the WA region have also been able to pivot their skills from tracing other viruses, such as measles, to tracing COVID-19.
“We’ve really beefed up a lot of our capacity in the contact tracing space to be ready,” he said.
Regional teams
Contact tracing teams have been based in Port Hedland, Geraldton, Kalgoorlie, Bunbury, Albany and Northam, with satellite offices in Carnarvon and Busselton.
A small unit is also based in Broome, where a recent exposure site notification triggered the first alert for residents of Kimberley in almost two years.
On December 30, an offshore worker visited Divers Tavern between 11am and 12.45pm, before returning to Queensland, where he later tested positive.
Dr Scalley reiterated that the risk of exposure was extremely low at the time of his visit, but said anyone who developed symptoms should self-isolate and get tested immediately.
He said the site was listed because authorities could not establish the man was not contagious.
Dr Scalley said wearing a mask and following correct COVID-19 protocols also reduced the risk of infection at the time of the man’s visit, and there were also no concerns regarding man’s offshore workplace.
No other exposure site in Broome has been listed by WA Health.
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