A Southern NSW Health District said all construction workers on the site had tested negative and as such the exposure risk had been reduced. Under NSW Health advice casual contacts at a place of concern four or more days ago only have to self-isolate until they receive a negative result. They must then monitor for symptoms.

The hospital itself is not affected and is functioning as usual.

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The testing came after a contract painter from Fairfield in southwest Sydney travelled to the Goulburn Base site with three colleagues last week. They car-pooled each day from Sydney to Goulburn and return last Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, Mayor Bob Kirk was advised in a Local Emergency Management Committee meeting this week.

The man was infectious while working in the clinical services building on Friday. However council general manager Warwick Bennett said he was largely working by himself and none of the men left the site during the day or circulated in Goulburn. The male self-isolated on Friday and his colleagues subsequently tested negative to COVID.

They had dropped into a service centre on their way home but this was well outside the Goulburn area. Contact tracing for this venue is underway.

The Mayor said the committee informed him the man with the positive result was believed to have contracted the virus from his local community, not Goulburn, but contact tracing would reveal more. The area did not return any positive tests on Wednesday.

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ABC Canberra reported that 26 ACT people were considered casual contacts of the man. Health Minister Rachel Stephen-Smith said she was working to ensure all of those people were in isolation until they received a negative test result.

The Health District spokesman said the Goulburn construction site was deep-cleaned on Wednesday. It was closed on Tuesday but would re-open once the all clear was given.

The Post sought comment from head contractor Hansen Yuncken on how the man was able to pass into the building. The Health District said this week that the company had policies and procedures in place for managing COVID-19 in accordance with NSW government advice.

However Hansen Yuncken referred The Post to NSW Health for comment, which had not responded by the time of publication. The company is responsible for procuring and engaging any sub-contractors and suppliers for the project.

The company has reiterated to Health Infrastructure its commitment to employing local workers where possible however, with bushfire recovery works ongoing, trades are in short supply.

The construction site has workplace policies and procedures in place for managing COVID-19 in accordance with NSW Government advice.

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Meantime, Cr Kirk, on Tuesday successfully lobbied the state government for tighter controls regarding the movement of so-called essential workers to regional areas.

It resulted in a new public health order requiring essential workers from Fairfield to be tested for COVID every three days. Further, workers in Greater Sydney, including the Blue Mountains, Central Coast, Shellharbour and Wollongong local government areas, must undergo a weekly test if travelling more than 50km from the boundary of their lockdown zone.

"There is individual responsibility but the onus is on employers to ensure their workers are properly tested and pose no risk and to also decide whether they are in fact essential workers," Cr Kirk said.

"The definitions are still a bit loose but hopefully this helps other regions too. We all face the same issues."

As for the test results so far, the Mayor hoped Goulburn had "dodged a bullet."

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