A family-owned Wangaratta business is facing a fortnight without income after three out of four staff were told to isolate due to potential exposure to COVID-19.
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Appin Park Takeaway was visited by a COVID-positive man between 7.10pm and 8.30pm on Sunday.
The store's owner, Paul Scott, said he was contacted around 4.30pm on Tuesday by the Albury Wodonga Health Local Public Health Unit.
"I was told to test as soon as possible and isolate for 14 days," he said.
"I went to get tested this morning and there was a five-hour wait."
Mr Scott was among staff in the store at the time the case visited, meaning the majority of their team will have to isolate for 14 days.
"Places like Woolies, Coles, Kmart ... they have a fair few staff and if you're in a situation where some have to quarantine, there are other staff," he said.
"Being a little family-run business with only four employees, three being there on the night of the exposure, three can't work and that pretty much means you're closed for two weeks.
"Being a takeaway business, we have been really lucky over the lockdown, but unfortunately with this, you have no choice but to be close."
Mr Scott received instructions from the Local Public Health Unit about isolation requirements and how to undertake a deep clean.
"The only thing that made us tier two instead of a tier one was exposure time," he said.
"If we were a restaurant and they were sitting there for an hour with constant contact, I would be classed as a tier one.
"But with them giving their cash, us giving their order and them walking out, it's a tier two. We still have to quarantine for 14 days."
Northeast Health Wangaratta acting chief executive Robyn Gillis explained the nature of tier two exposures still required high vigilance.
"What happens is the Public Health Unit interview the person; they gather enough information and they do a risk assessment on what that person was doing and how long they were in that site, and then they assess whether it is a tier one or tier two," she said.
"So, what you may find is an individual may have been contacted because they've had a direct and personal contact with that person and they would be considered a tier one, but the site itself is considered tier two."
IN OTHER NEWS:
This was the case for the Kmart exposure site listing; some individuals will be Tier 1 contacts and be required to quarantine for 14 days.
The Department will contact them directly with this advice.
Some Wangaratta businesses have chosen to close temporarily until more is known.
