Frustration of Bendigo COVID exposure site leads to local Facebook group

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Bendigo residents have created a social media group to follow exhibition sites after being frustrated with the lack of updates on the Victoria Health Department website.

Over 20,000 people joined the Bendigo Exposure Sites Facebook group in its first week.

One of its directors, Shannon Spooner, said the goal was to help people make informed decisions about where to go.

“The exhibition sites are listed quite late,” Ms. Spooner said.

“There is obviously a lot of work behind the scenes, but there was a delay between when there was an exhibit site and when the public heard about it.

“There were companies showing up and you would hear about them long before you were notified by the Department of Health, or long before you had official notification.

“There was a need”

Accurate information for those who cannot get vaccinated was the driving force behind the team behind the group.

Ms Spooner has two children too young to receive the jab and wanted to be able to reduce her risk of contracting COVID-19.

“I knew there was a need for it,” she said.

Ms. Spooner also wants residents who are immunocompromised and those who cannot get vaccinated to have exhibition resources available to them.

“It’s not about being paranoid, it’s just about making informed decisions,” she said.

Volunteer organizers endorse posts shared by residents of Bendigo to the group with information about exhibit sites that the companies themselves have posted.

While there was a bit of a backlash, Ms Spooner says most welcomed the group.

“It’s a platform that anyone can share when they see exhibit sites,” she said.

“It’s not about giving us information to everyone, it’s a platform they can share with each other.

Bendigo Health encourages businesses to refer to the Department of Health web page.(ABC Central Victoria: Tyrone Dalton)

Best health site, official says

The ministry’s website lists Level 1 exposure sites identified during the contact tracing process.

The department publishes places where there is a higher risk of exposure, but says its website is “not a complete list.”

The department no longer publishes level 2 or 3 exhibition sites.

Loddon Mallee Public Health Unit Director Bruce Bolam encourages everyone to check out the public health advice on the Department of Health website.

“I think it’s totally understandable that people want to get information – everyone is really paying attention to what the coronavirus is and they want that information as quickly as possible.

“The best advice is to only follow the advice of the public health official in the health ministry or local public health unit, or whatever is on the health ministry website. “

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