FIVE days into what has undoubtedly been the most worrying period for our region through this whole coronavirus pandemic, the early indications are promising.
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Thousands of people across the Western NSW Local Health District region have come forward for testing in the past few days but not a single case has been found since a Blayney factory worker tested positive last Tuesday.
That prompted a swift reaction from the state government which put around 60,000 residents living in the Orange, Blayney and Cabonne local government areas - and others who had visited the area - into a snap seven-day lockdown.
It was must have been a tough decision to make and there are plenty of people across our region doing it tough at the moment.
There were also issues with the communication around the lockdown and some confusion over what the restrictions meant for people going to work or school, but that can be forgiven when we consider how quickly the public health orders had to be written and enacted on Tuesday afternoon.
What matters most, though, is that the lockdown seems to be having the desired effect.
Health officials were concerned about the potential spread of COVID-19 across the region after it was found the infected factory worker had visited several locations in Orange while unknowingly infected.
But with thousands of people tested in Parkes, Blayney, Molong, Orange and Bathurst since Wednesday morning there has not been a single new case of the virus found.
That's the best news we could have hoped for at this stage but the clear message from health officials remains the same: we are not out of the woods yet.
We know it can sometimes take a few days for COVID symptoms to appear and we also know that it can take a few days after exposure for someone to test positive to the virus.
So there might still be undetected cases of the virus in the region and it's only by limiting our mobility, sanitising regularly, wearing our masks, keeping our distance from each other and getting tested with even the most minor of symptoms that we can give ourselves the best possible chance of staying on top of it.
Most importantly, everyone who can get the COVID jab should be lining up to do so.
Let's keep doing the right thing - for ourselves and for each other.
Have a great Sunday, everyone.
