The people of Batemans Bay have barely had a chance to come up for air this year.
Key points:
- Chantal Whitten says she queued for seven and a half hours to get a COVID-19 test in Batemans Bay
- Lisa Kennedy, general manager of the Eurobodalla Health Service, apologised for the long wait
- Eurobodalla Mayor Liz Innes says the arrival of coronavirus is the community’s “worst fear”
Last summer’s bushfires were the worst the town has seen. Then came the floods.
And in March, as coronavirus saw the country shut down community by community, Batemans Bay closed its doors, held its breath and anxiously waited for the danger to pass.
In the last couple of months it seemed as though the coastal town was in the clear. The tourists the town relies on had returned, school holidays brought a steady stream of business and a fresh start finally felt possible.
But last week a family from Sydney inadvertently brought COVID-19 into the heart of Batemans Bay after dining at the Soldiers Club, the threat of the virus once again frightening a community on edge.
Eight coronavirus cases have now been associated with the Soldiers Club.
“I would say this has been the most traumatic year of my life,” local Chantal Whitten told 7.30.
On Friday night, Ms Whitten and her 12-year-old son joined friends at the Soldiers Club. It was the fir