Ahmed*, a resident of Hume – one of the six Victorian areas named as coronavirus hotspots - tested positive a few days ago along with his sister.
He told SBS Arabic24 that he has chosen to remain anonymous, to avoid criticism and abuse from the wider community while he deals with his symptoms.
He believes that migrants are being unfairly blamed for the spike in coronavirus cases in Victoria, which has for the past week and a death on Wednesday.
“It is hard because you would have to deal with people’s contempt based on false information that has no relation to reality,” he said.
“Maybe these areas have a large number of refugees and migrants, but this has nothing to do with the number of cases or the spread of the virus. I don’t think it does."
Community engagement in the local government areas of Brimbank, Casey, Cardinia, Darebin, Hume and Moreland has been ramped up, including doorknocking, after they were identified as hotspots for the virus.
The six hotspots in Melbourne. Source: SBS News
Ahmed said he followed preventative measures recommended by health authorities, but caught the virus through his sister, who travels outside of the suburb for work.
“My sister was working and one of her colleagues has tested positive, so when we heard the news, we all went for a check.
“I felt a headache, body ache, blocked nose, and a sore throat.”
Wednesday’s hotspot announcement sparked debate
around the ability of health authorities to communicate coronavirus messages to migrant communities.
Health Minister Greg Hunt said the government has consistently been in “direct community engagement” with migrant communities and had translated fact sheets and broadcasts into many languages other than English.
He affirmed that the government has held almost 4500 consultations with migrant and community leaders.
Minister for Health Greg Hunt Source: AAP
The comments come following a report produced by the National COVID-19 Health and Research Advisory Committee (NCHRAC) last month, where a group of experts expressed concerns about the government's dealings with migrant groups.
The NCHRAC was told by multicultural community members they were involved in the government’s coronavirus response on an “ad-hoc basis or not at all”, which the report described as a “missed opportunity”.
References to the report were slammed down by Minister Hunt.
“I saw that story and that story was wrong,” he told reporters on Wednesday, referring to an ABC story on the NCHRAC report.
“Since the outset, we have set out to work with communities of different languages, or communities of diverse language and ethnic origin.”
Ahmed said he received coronavirus prevention information from social media platforms Facebook and Instagram, but he only had access to information in English.
“I usually read government advice in English, so I think the lack of Arabic information could have played a role in the spread of the virus.
“We were told to isolate ourselves for 14 days and if our symptoms got worse, we should call triple zero so we can be admitted into the hospital. “[Now] they call us every day to check on us.
“This is serious, dangerous and very real, and we should all take care and adhere to social distance and never leave the house unless it is absolutely necessary.”
He said he doesn’t have an issue if more restrictions are placed on the hotspots, including the quarantining of entire suburbs.
“If the number of cases surged even more, then we will have to do it because it is really dangerous.”
The NCHRAC report specified that Medicare access, financial hardship, and fear of authorities were key barriers preventing vulnerable groups from accessing COVID-19 testing.
*Not his real name
People in Australia must stay at least 1.5 metres away from others. Check your state’s restrictions on gathering limits.
Testing for coronavirus is now widely available across Australia. If you are experiencing cold or flu symptoms, arrange a test by calling your doctor or contact the Coronavirus Health Information Hotline on 1800 020 080.
The federal government's coronavirus tracing app COVIDSafe is available for download from your phone's app store.
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