Residents of the 3064 postcode are turning to a Facebook group for updates about COVID-19 exposure sites, as the health department’s official website falls behind amid rising case numbers.
The public Facebook group, 3064 exposure sites, was created on Monday, September 20, and garnered 2000 members in less than a fortnight.
The 3064 postcode makes up Hume suburbs Craigieburn, Roxburgh Park, Mickleham and Kalkallo.
The area has been identified by health department data as the top postcode for active COVID-19 cases for weeks, despite vaccination rates in Hume increasing.
One of the creators of the group, Jo-Ellen Pickerd, said she saw a need for the community to keep each other informed about exposure sites.
“I started the group as I [saw] a lot of comments on different posts about exposure sites and thought it would be good to have it all under one group so people can get the [information],” Ms Pickerd said.
“It’s been a great response. I just wish there was a way to confirm the exposure sites and the tier.”
With the health department under strain from the amount of exposure sites to update the state about – many of which are within the 3064 postcode – Ms Pickerd said she understood the overwhelming information they were grappling with.
“Sometimes I feel it’s easier to list places that do not have exposure sites!”
Michaela Meade
