It’s a difficult situation when you are told by someone that they have Corvid-19 and you’ve been in contact with them. That’s what happened to Lismore Men and Community Shed president Bob Grieg.

Despite false rumours circulating on Facebook and other media sites today that Men’s Shed members have the virus, Bob wants to set the record straight.

“One of the Men’s Shed members reckons he had it and told me he got a blood test – and the results came back overnight saying he was on the lower end of the scale,” Bob told the Lismore App. 

“So, I went to the hospital to get tested and told the doctor what the guy had told me.

“The doctor said the test for coronavirus was not a blood test, it was a nasal swab test and it takes three days for the results to come back. There's no scale - you either have it, or not.

“Then the doctor said he wasn’t sure if I needed to be tested if I hadn’t actually been in contact with a confirmed case of coronavirus – and he wouldn’t test me.

“So I went home and have decided to self-isolate for 14 days and start wearing a mask.”

When asked why he thought someone might tell him they had coronavirus, Bob said he thought it was because the person was trying to “big note” himself and “get sympathy”.

“So I shut the shed as a precautionary measure because there is a lot of older people who use it,” Bob said.

“I’m 60 odd years old and have respiratory issues so I thought I’d play it safe and stay at home. 

“I posted on the Men’s Shed Facebook page saying that we’ve had one confirmed case and for your safety and protection I have closed the shed – but I’m going to put up another update now.

“I care about the people that come to the Men’s Shed that we help with flat packs – and all that work has ceased for at least 14 days while we reassess.”

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