A HUNTER family has described life in isolation after both parents tested positive for COVID-19.
Jonathan (last name withheld) and his wife were two of the first confirmed cases of coronavirus in the Hunter after attending a wedding a fortnight ago.
"We started to hear a few days after that there was possible cases of COVID from the wedding," Jonathan says in a Hunter New England Health video.
Live and breaking news updates: The coronavirus crisis in Newcastle and the Hunter
"At that stage it was a bit of hearsay.
"When we started to hear through official routes there were confirmed cases from the wedding, that - combined with the fact we had some mild cold symptoms - we decided to get tested.
"We have been isolated from the time we knew we were at risk of having it."
He said the public health team had been very thorough in contacting anyone they had been in contact with that was deemed to be at risk.
"From the health side of things we have been really good," Jonathan said.
"We have been lucky, our symptoms were mild.
"We have some sore throats, some mild coughs and a little bit of tiredness at worst. But our health is close to perfect.
"Our kids have been swabbed after we were found positive. Our advice from that point was to get the kids up to John Hunter Hospital for swabs.
"We are just waiting on the kid's results.
"When they come back we'll know how to go forward from there. We have put precautions in place as best we can."
- Gold Coast flights cut, other Newcastle Airport routes slashed
- Two more Hunter people test positive for COVID-19
- Borders closed to non-Australians
The parents have been wearing masks at home and following public health advice to try to limit the spread as they wait to find out if their children have COVID-19 too.
The public health unit calls them everyday to check in.
"It has been fine. The kids have been great," he said.
"We have put some structures in place, and really, they have been treating it like a holiday.
"They head out into the backyard and play all sorts of games. Some days they have watched a movie. Sometimes they play outside all day.
"We have just been trying to be distant from them to avoid them getting coronavirus, as hard as that can be."
Jonathan said he thought Australia had learned a lot from what other countries had experienced.
"The lessons are that social distancing and preventing the spread is the most successful way to avoid what are going to be some pretty drastic issues for the health care system.
"It's difficult, because a lot of people like myself aren't terribly unwell. I think for a lot of people they aren't too concerned.
"It's just so important for us to protect the vulnerable, and protect the healthcare system, and if you are feeling slightly unwell, or you've had a bit of a cough or a fever, then you should consider self-isolating.
"Call up the hotline and get some advice.
"Better to be safe than sorry."
We have removed our paywall from our stories about the coronavirus. This is a rapidly changing situation and we want to ensure our readers are as informed as possible. If you would like to support our journalists, you can subscribe here
