Victorian health authorities are ‘exceptionally concerned’ about a cluster of mystery Covid cases in Melbourne after recorded 24 new locally-acquired infections.
Of the new cases, 20 have been linked to known outbreaks and 18 have been in isolation during their entire infectious period.
Over 110 of Victoria’s 246 active cases have been detected in children under the age of 19, with 56 aged nine or younger and 55 aged between ten and 19.
in Wednesday’s press conference Health Minister Martin Foley defended his government’s decision to shut down playgrounds because of the increasing spread of the virus in young kids and has identified a sex worker as one of the latest mystery cases.
Victoria recorded 24 new cases of coronavirus on Wednesday, as health authorities become increasingly concerned over a St Kilda cluster now numbering 15 infections (pictured, a masked woman walking in Melbourne)
Health Minister Martin Foley defended his government’s decision to shut down playgrounds by revealing one fifth of Victoria’s active cases were children (pictured, a closed park in Hoppers crossing in Melbourne)
There are currently 12 people hospitalised with Covid-19 in Victoria and two in ICU, with neither requiring ventilators.
The state has recorded four new mystery cases of Covid-19.
The controversial move to close skate parks and playgrounds has sparked heavy backlash from parents as well Victorian Police Association Secretary Wayne Gatt.
In an opinion piece for the Herald Sun Mr Gatt wrote that police were being forced to prevent families from going to playgrounds that bring them joy.
Mr Foley revealed on Wednesday that more than one fifth of active cases were detected in children under the age of 19 and therefore the ban was fair.
The health minister explained childcare facilities, which have remained open, were a controlled environment with strict protocols unlike playgrounds.
‘A combination of Delta, a combination of the fact that the virus is finding its way increasingly into unvaccinated groups, which is school environments, which is children and 110-plus people under the age of 19 currently have the Delta variant,’ Mr Foley said.
About 50 children in the state aged 10 and under are fighting the virus, including a child in intensive care who is in a stable condition.
Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton said his team was probing a potential case of playground transmission, along with a ‘more definitive’ link between students from different classes who walked home together.
‘Some of those cases have been proven in having acquired and transmitted in outdoor environments.’
Covid-19 Response Commander Jeroen Weimar said a number of the infected children were in grades 2, 3 and 4.
Mr Foley also confirmed one of the state’s mystery cases is a St Kilda woman who had been involved in occasional sex work.
‘I stress there is no evidence of transmission having occurred because of this person’s occupation, but out of caution, we are asking if you have employed a sex worker in the St Kilda area you need to come forward and get tested,’ he said.
‘No matter where you are, you need to come forward and get tested.’
It remains unclear how the woman caught the virus but she is known not to have a fixed address and instead stays in boarding houses.
Mr Weimar said the sex worker’s positive case was detected after she presented herself to an emergency department where upon another infection was connected.
He added the woman is not believed to be the missing link between the growing cluster of mystery cases in St Kilda.
People living in parts of southeast Melbourne are urged to get tested as several mystery cases continue to cause concern for health authorities
The 24 new recorded cases were diagnosed from 39,832 tests and 27,173 vaccine doses were administered across Victoria on Tuesday (pictured, healthcare workers in St Kilda, Melbourne)
Mr Foley said the woman was currently in quarantine and was receiving the ‘best possible care’.
He added that all of the residents in the facility the woman was previously residing have so far returned negative Covid-19 test results.
There are now 15 infections linked to the St Kilda area, many of whom are being treated as mystery cases with no other connection than geography.
Anyone who lives or spends time in St Kilda and its surrounding suburbs – particularly Caulfield North and Middle Park – has been urged to get tested.
The now infamous engagement party held in St Kilda east over the weekend has contributed to new infections, however health officials say unlinked cases continue to emerge across a range of different groups.
‘We have accountants, we have architects, we have a sex worker, we have members of the Orthodox Jewish community, [and] we have a pizza guy who worked in a pizza shop in Glen Eira,’ Mr Weimar said.
‘It is a very broad and disparate range of people.’
Mr Weimar said of the 69 people that attended the illegal engagement gathering seven have returned a positive result.
Residents of an apartment block in Lygon Street in Carlton have also been urged to get tested for the virus after the units were listed as a Tier 2 exposure site overnight, with a childcare centre and a number of retailers also added to the growing list.
Victorian health authorities are pleading for residents of southeast Melbourne to get tested for COVID-19 as the city’s mystery cases continue to grow
Health deputy secretary issued a stark warning to anyone who had been in the city’s south and south-east with more than 50 exposure sites stretching from South Melbourne to Brighton
It comes after Health Department deputy secretary Kate Matson issued a stark warning to anyone who had been in the city’s south and south-east with more than 50 exposure sites stretching from South Melbourne to Brighton.
‘These cases aren’t linked by age. They’re not linked by faith. They aren’t all in the same book club. They’re not all on the same footy club. The only thing they share is geographic proximity,’ she said Tuesday.
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‘We want to see more tests right across the area because it’s becoming a real concern for us,’ Professor Sutton said in Tuesday night’s coronavirus update.
‘We need more tests to track down unidentified chains of transmission and protect the whole local community.’
There are two other mystery cases, in Dandenong and Middle Park – people who both work in St Kilda but at unrelated buildings.
‘These cases got the virus from somewhere. The virus is circulating in those geographic areas,’ Ms Matson said.
‘We are concerned that there are cases here that we do not yet know about.’
Fears are mounting of Melbourne’s lockdown being extended with mystery cases continuing to pop up unlinked across the city and testing rates remaining low
The five mystery cases in the beachside suburb of St Kilda are worrying Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton, who has insisted testing rates are currently too low
Health authorities are asking all Victorians to continue to check exposure sites regularly as ‘they are subject to change based on follow-up interviews and further investigation’.
Melbourne is 13 days into its sixth lockdown, which was extended on Monday until September 2.
A 9pm to 5am curfew, which was in place during the state’s second wave, has been reintroduced, with playgrounds and other outdoor facilities closed and exercise limited to two people.
There are more cases linked to Glenroy West Public School and Al-Taqa College.
Two bus routes have been listed as Tier 1 exposure sites in Altona, with anyone onboard at the times listed to get tested and isolate for 14 days regardless of the result.
There was a positive case on the 903 bus between Ross Road/Millers Road and Altonta Station at 3:56pm on August 13 until 4:03pm.
The person then got back on the reverse route at 5:48pm and got off the bus at 5:55pm.
St Kilda has become ground-zero for the latest outbreak after the infamous engagement party that saw several attendees infected and spreading to co-workers
Officials are urging Melburnians to get tested as rates remain extremely low
Here’s all you need to know about the new restrictions in Melbourne
How will this curfew work?
A 9pm to 5am curfew takes effect from 11.59pm tonight in metropolitan Melbourne but the Premier asked people to observe it from this evening.
There would be Increased police presence on Melbourne streets to enforce the restrictions, the Premier said at Monday’s update.
Residents will be required to obtain a permit for authorised work allowing them to leave their homes during the curfew period.
Authorised workers will need to carry the permits while travelling to and from work, and when at work. Permits need to be certified by the person’s employer.
Permits are available from the Victorian government’s coronavirus site.
Higher education students on the Authorised Provider list will also need to carry permits.
Dr Sutton said permits would not be required for another 24 hours.
There remain only five other reasons to leave home – shopping for essentials (one person per household per day), care an caregiving, exercise, authorised work and study, and to receive a vaccine.
Shopping and exercise remain limited to within 5km of a person’s home.
There is increased police presence on Melbourne streets to enforce the restrictions, after the Premier announced a crackdown on rule-breakers (pictured, police patrol the locked down city)
People queue up for a Covid test at a pop-up test site at the St Kilda Town Hall in Melbourne (pictured)
Are there changes to exercise rules?
Playgrounds, basketball courts, skate parks and exercise equipment will be closed to the public to reduce the possibility of transmission events.
Exercise is further restricted to an individual and one other person, for up to two hours. Dependents can be included if they can’t be left unattended.
The other person can be from another household.
The change means those in large households will no longer be able to all exercise together.
Mask wearing
People will no longer be able to remove masks in order to drink alcohol.
‘You will no longer be able to remove your mask to drink a cocktail at a pop-up beer garden on a footpath as part of a pub crawl,’ Mr Andrews said.
Masks must continue to be carried at all time and worn indoors and outdoors, except if at home or when visiting an intimate partner’s place of residence.
Melburnians in the midst of their sixth Covid lockdown now face even harsher restrictions with controversial curfew laws back in place as of Tuesday night, despite virus experts and even the police union speaking out against the move (pictured, Flinders Street Station on Monday)
Changes for construction sites
Large scale construction sites must now cut down their staff on site to 25 per cent. Smaller projects would be limited to five people on site.
Additional restrictions would also come into effect in relation to movement between sites where tradespeople work multiple sites.
Religious gatherings and ceremonies
No in-person gatherings are permitted. Broadcasts are of these gatherings are permitted with five people, but the same five people must be involved in producing the broadcast.
School students
Schools will remain closed. Dr Sutton said on Monday of a possible return to school by September 2: ‘We will preferentially look to Year 11 and 12 students getting back [in classrooms] because of their particular needs.’
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