Bendigo salon overwhelmed by support after being named a coronavirus exposure site

The state's health officials named two central Victorian businesses - the Axedale Tavern and the Hairfolk salon in central Bendigo - as exposure sites on Wednesday.

Co-owner Jemma Lea received a call from health officials on Tuesday night informing her a person who had been in her store for two minutes to purchase a product on May 22 had tested positive to coronavirus.

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"It's been a big few days and obviously it was pretty surprising," she said. "The phone call came through quite late at night which showed they acted quickly once they knew to notify us.

"We got onto our team straight away and then worked out which clients were affected by looking through our video surveillance.

"We were all shocked at start but we quickly jumped into 'what do we need to do' mode."

Mrs Lea said the Bendigo community had supported the business through the virus scare.

Read more: Bendigo lockdown: What the new coronavirus restrictions mean for me

"Everyone we contacted was so understanding, really lovely, supportive and appreciative of us getting in touch with them," she said. "They have all been compliant and isolating until they get their negative results.

"We were actually cleared to open our doors but we decided to shut as it seemed like the right thing to do. Most of our staff needed an individual all clear from their tests and we organised a deep clean of the salon.

"After the lockdown, we're looking forward to getting back to what love and that's hair and looking after our clients and we're confident we'll have the support of the community."

Mrs Lea said her priority through the seven-day circuit breaker lockdown was ensuring her staff and Hairfolk family were supported.

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"We want to thank our team first and foremost for being calm and understanding under an ever changing situation," she said.

"Our priority is making sure they will be looked after in this situation and we're committed to paying them so that's one less thing they have to worry about at the end of all of this.

"Our clients and Hairfolk family have supported us incredibly, been understanding and patient. We have had so many offers to help in this trying time of food, cleaning products the list goes on. I've been absolutely blown away and we're all definitely feeling the love from the Bendigo community, so a huge thankyou.

"And finally, the Bendigo Public Health Unit has given us phenomenal support and guidance through this process. We've had many phone calls and they've answered every question we've had. Thank you for the quick action and great contact."

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