MP Adam Marshall is calling on the health district to be more transparent with the location of coronavirus cases following confirmation an elderly couple had been diagnosed in the Northern Tablelands.
Mr Marshall said late Tuesday afternoon, he received confirmation from the NSW Police of our region's first two confirmed coronavirus cases in Inverell.
He said the elderly couple, who returned home from a cruise late last week, tested positive today and are in isolation and their immediate family are also being tested and are isolated.
"This is all the information I have to hand at the moment as Hunter New England Health, as of today, are refusing to provide me or the community with any detailed information about COVID-19 cases in our region," Mr Marshall said on social media.
"Up until today, I was receiving a daily update, which I was passing onto local councils and the community, but that ceased today and will not resume.
"The last update I received was last night, and at that point, there were no cases anywhere within the Northern Tablelands. By their actions, HNE Health will create a larger information vacuum, inciting further anxiety, confusion and panic in our communities, at a time when there are already heightened tensions."
Mr Marshall said he would call on HNE Health to provide daily public updates on confirmed COVID-19 cases on a local government area basis.
"We all have a right to this information, and it's critical at this time we all receive it from an official health source, rather than social media or town gossip," he continued in his social media post.
"I will continue to push for this until it happens."
McLean Care announced on social media the immediate closure of Killean Residential Care to all visitors after they received confirmation from Hunter New England Health of the two confirmed COVID-19 cases in Inverell.
The service has stated no home care clients, residents or staff associated with McLean Care is suspected of having, or has been diagnosed, with the virus.
"In line with our pandemic emergency management plan, we are closing Killean Residential Care immediately to all visitors," they wrote.
"This means our previous visitor policy has been withdrawn and effective immediately, there will be no visitors allowed on site except staff and essential service providers.
A Tamworth man also told The Daily Telegraph that he arrived back in Sydney after a cruise on Thursday and said authorities waved passengers through security without taking their temperature.
The 56-year-old said he has since been diagnosed with Covid-19.
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