By Cam Lucadou-Wells
Greater Dandenong councillor Tim Dark as well as two work colleagues have tested positive to Covid-19.
Cr Dark said he’d fallen ill the day after last attending his workplace, the Richardson French real estate office in Dandenong, on Tuesday 21 September.
On the following Thursday, he recorded a positive Covid test and notified his employer.
Subsequently, two other staff tested positive.
The “pro-choice” unvaccinated 28-year-old denied he had been “cavalier” in wearing masks in the workplace.
He removed his mask only in his private office but remained masked in common office areas, he said.
Cr Dark said he always checked-in with QR codes and wore masks while out in public.
On 22 September, the day after attending Richardson French, he came down with “symptoms like the flu”.
The “shivers, headache, sinuses and a cough” lasted for 24 hours.
A week later, he’d largely recovered except for retaining “minimal” senses of smell and taste.
Cr Dark said he’d never considered hospitalisation, contrary to an “exaggerated” media report.
“From my experience as a fit and healthy adult, it’s very much the same as the standard flu.”
Since the illness, he maintained his “pro-choice” attitude towards Covid vaccination.
“From what I’ve seen in the media a lot of people are contracting Covid when vaxxed.”
He said he was “absolutely not anti-vax” for shots such as measles, rubella and chicken pox.
“But with the Covid vaccine there’s still uncertainty around the vaccine.
“It’s up to each individual person. I think mandating it at workplaces is going too far.”
Cr Dark lives with his unvaccinated mother in Keysborough. She has twice tested Covid-negative since Cr Dark’s illness.
He was advised by the Department of Health that he would not require Covid vaccination for six months due to building up “natural immunity” while sick, he said.
Cr Dark said he was surprised by the lack of questioning by contact tracers.
They only inquired whether he’d been in vulnerable settings such as a hospital, aged care or school since Monday 20 September, he said.
Greater Dandenong Council made enquiries and confirmed Cr Dark was not at the council offices, nor had he interacted with any councillors or others during his infectious period.
“This gave us the confidence that all the plans Council usually has in place were sufficient,” Greater Dandenong chief executive John Bennie said.
The council’s Covid Safe plan included a daily cleaning schedule and strict visitor protocols including hand sanitizing, mask wearing and QR code scanning.
A double-vaxxed mayor Angela Long urged Cr Dark – as well as other unvaccinated Greater Dandenong residents – to get Covid-vaccinated.
“I’m hoping Tim has had a fright and goes to get it done.
‘Being on council, the community are looking at us as a community leader and you have to take that responsibility seriously.”
The Department of Health had not listed Richardson French as an exposure site, as of 1 October.
A spokesperson however confirmed three active cases linked to the office.
“Contract tracers continue to investigate the source of this outbreak and any links to other cases.”
Richardson French director Jeffrey Richardson declined to comment.
