Your questions answered: Everything to know about Victoria’s latest outbreak

What does the latest outbreak in Victoria mean for you? From changed restrictions to who needs to isolate, this is everything you need to know.

EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW

How many cases are there?

As of Thursday afternoon, there is one case linked to the latest outbreak. The case is a 26-year-old man from Noble Park who worked at the Grand Hyatt, an Australian Open hotel quarantine.

What was his role at the hotel?

The man was a residential support officer “doing hallway duty” at the Grand Hyatt. He was working on a floor of the hotel where guests where later confirmed to have coronavirus.

When did he finish work?

He worked his last shift at the Grand Hyatt on January 29. He was tested at the end of his final shift, which returned a negative result.

Passengers landing in Sydney from Melbourne are being temperature checked at the airport. Picture: David Swift/NCA Newswire.

When did he get sick?

He became experiencing symptoms and was tested on Tuesday. His result came back positive on Wednesday.

Who did he get the virus from?

Authorities are investigating exactly who from and how he got the virus. But Premier Daniel Andrews said “the working theory and the assumption – I think it’s a well founded one – is that he’s got it in hotel quarantine, despite not having done anything to breach infection control protocols”.

Was he infected through airborne transmission?

Possibly. The state’s public health team is “working through possibilities” but Mr Andrews said “one thing is we can’t rule out is aerosol transmission”. Deputy chief health officer Allen Cheng said: “We have always recognised, particularly in Victoria, that airborne transmission is possible.” The ventilation systems in the quarantine hotels has been restructured to minimise the amount of shared air circulating between rooms and common spaces. “There’s been an engineering review of the hotels and we are certainly very conscious of that,” Prof Cheng said.

Was there any obvious breaches in hotel quarantine protocols?

No. Authorities have reviewed “literally days” of CCTV footage and deemed the man “a model employee”. “We can find no problem, no breach of protocol or anything of that nature in terms of his employment,” the Premier said.

Masks are once again mandatory inside. Picture: Asanka Ratnayake/Getty Images.

Are there going to be any changes to the hotel quarantine program because of this case?

The man tested negative after his final shift, but returned a positive result in the following days. Prof Cheng said hotel quarantine workers were tested daily but authorities would now make sure that workers were also tested on their days off. “We’re always trying to learn from all of these things and make sure that we tighten up on every step along the way,” he said.

Has he been infected with the mutant UK super-strain of the coronavirus?

It is not yet known. The results of genomic sequencing are expected tomorrow (Friday).

Have his “close family contacts” also caught the virus?

Two family contacts, including one the man lives with, have both returned negative results.

Did the man go anywhere before testing positive?

Yes, health officials have listed 14 locations as possible exposure sites. They include supermarkets, sports clubs, a Brighton cafe, a CBD kebab shop and a city bottle shop. The latest list of exposure sites and times can be found here: https://www.dhhs.vic.gov.au/case-locations-and-outbreaks-covid-19

What should you do if you visited one of the exposure sites during the relevant time?

You should get tested immediately and then isolate for 14 days.

Are these locations still a risk?

No. “The locations on this list are not a current risk to the public and you can visit them in line with current restrictions,” the Department of Health said.

COVID-19 testing sites have been swamped as Victorians turn out in droves to get tested. Picture: Alex Coppel.

Is the man a CFA volunteer?

Yes, he is a CFA volunteer who attended a function with other volunteers on Saturday, January 30.

Are there any fire stations affected by the case?

Yes, the CFA has confirmed that all of the man’s contacts have been tested and are isolating. “Noble Park Fire Brigade has been taken offline while this takes place,” the CFA said. “The Warrandyte, Wallan and Kilmore fire stations have been closed for deep cleaning, but the brigades are operational and responding to incidents.” The authority said arrangements had been made with neighbouring brigades to ensure community safety was not compromised.

Are there any new restrictions because of this case?

Yes, new restrictions are now in place. It means that masks are now mandatory in indoor public places across Victoria. The number of visitors allowed at home has been reduced from 30 to 15, excluding children aged under 1. Masks are “strongly recommended” during these home visits. The government has also paused the planned increased to office caps, which were due to increase from 50 per cent for the private sector and 25 per cent for the public sector to 75 per cent across the board on Monday.

The Australian Open has been thrown into chaos after a positive test in one of the quarantine hotels. Picture: David Gray/AFP.

How many people quarantining at the Grand Hyatt had coronavirus?

Six of the people quarantine at the Grand Hyatt — all linked to the Australian Open — tested positive for COVID-19. After testing positive, they were moved from the hotel on Collins St to a “hot” health hotel. Genomic sequencing has confirmed that at least four of the six had the UK strain.

What’s happening to their tennis players who were quarantining at the Grand Hyatt?

About 520 players and staff deemed “casual contacts” were told to get tested and isolate. Dedicated facilities were on Thursday set up to streamline their testing. Testing commander Jeroen Weimar said authorities were “not as concerned about them” but wanted the players and staff to be checked so they could then “rule them out from the inquiry”.

Why are authorities saying there is “relatively low risk” for the players?

Prof Cheng said it was because “they were in (their rooms) at the time as opposed to staff outside the room”. He said the last of the players had left quarantine on January 22, and were now approaching what would be the end of a two-week incubation period.

When did authorities become aware of the man’s case and when was the first public alert issued?

The Premier was alerted to the positive case at 6.30pm but the first public alert was issued via Twitter at 9pm. He fronted a press conference at 10.30pm. Mr Andrews defended the short delay, saying “people can’t brief me on facts until they have tried their very best to establish them”. “It is important to have a degree of confidence in the information we are putting out there,” he said. “We don’t just throw out stuff we reckon.”

Originally published as Your questions answered: Everything to know about Victoria’s latest outbreak