More than 700 people in quarantine after Omicron case visits Sircuit Bar and The Peel

The owner of a pub at the centre of Victoria’s Omicron scare is devastated he has been forced to close again after a confirmed case visited the hotel.

A Melbourne nightclub owner at the centre of the city’s Omicron scare has been forced to shut his business after an infected person attended the venue.

More than 700 people were forced into quarantine after a confirmed Omicron case visited two popular Melbourne nightclubs.

A person with the strain visited Sircuit Bar in Fitzroy between 9pm and about midnight on Friday before heading to The Peel Hotel in Collingwood between 11.30pm and 3am.

The Peel Hotel owner Tom McFeely said the isolation rule meant the pub would likely be closed for a week during one of the busiest periods of the year.

The Peel Hotel in Collingwood has been classified as a Covid exposure site. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Andrew Henshaw

People who are fully vaccinated must quarantine for seven days, while those who aren’t double-dose vaccinated will need to quarantine for two weeks.

“If your staff have to isolate – you can‘t open,” he told 3AW.

“It basically means we have to shut down.

“I thought we were learning to live with this damn thing and now this happened.”

The pub has spent much of the past two years closed due to ongoing lockdowns and reopened for the first time after two months two weeks ago.

“It‘s policy on the run and policy on the run doesn’t work for small business,” Mr McFeely said.

Peel hotel owner Tom McFeely had an Omnicrom case attend his pub and now he has to close again after only just opening. Picture: David Caird

Health officials have warned Omicron case numbers could double every two to three days in Victoria.

Victorian chief health officer Brett Sutton on Wednesday warned the variant would become the dominant strain in Victoria,

“The story globally is it is doubling every two to three days – it has gone from a few hundred cases in South Africa to tens of thousands in a matter of weeks,” Professor Sutton said.

“There is clearly some vaccine evasion, so people who are either naturally immune or have been vaccinated can get the Omicron variant.”

Health Minister Martin Foley said there continued to be a serious risk to public health from the global pandemic. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Paul Jeffers

Victoria recorded 1405 new Covid-19 cases and three more deaths on Wednesday.

It’s the highest number of cases confirmed in Victoria since 1419 were recorded on December 2.

Health officials estimate about 320 people were at The Peel and more than 410 people were at Sircuit Bar.

Anyone who visited either of these venues at these times is considered a close contact and must isolate immediately.

Two popular inner-north nightclubs have been listed as Omicron exposure sites.

Everyone affected will need to take a standard PCR Covid-19 test as soon as possible and continue to quarantine at home.

“You must have another PCR test on the day before your quarantine period is due to end and receive a negative result before your quarantine can be complete,” the Department of Health said on Wednesday.

In a post on its Facebook page, Sircuit said health officials had access to all patrons’ QR check-in data and should be in contact with affected people.

“We also are working directly with our staff and contractors affected to ensure their health and safety as well as our ongoing commitment to yours,” the nightclub said.

The Melbourne Omicron scare follows a mass outbreak of Covid-19 cases in NSW believed to be linked to an event at a Newcastle nightclub.

More than 200 cases have been identified in the Argyle House nightclub cluster after a person with the Omicron variant visited on December 8.

Victoria announced major restriction changes on Wednesday. Picture: NCA NewsWire / David Crosling

Victoria on Wednesday announced major changes to its vaccination requirements, including people under 18 now no longer needing to show proof of their vaccination status.

Health Minister Martin Foley will on Wednesday sign pandemic orders under the new Public Health and Wellbeing Act that will come into effect from midnight on Wednesday and be in place until January 12 next year.

Mr Foley said there continued to be a serious risk to public health from the global pandemic and restrictions continued to be necessary.

Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews says his government won’t chase ‘Omicron zero’. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Luis Enrique Ascui

Health authorities have said Omicron is likely to be Australia’s largest superspreader event in 2021.

The World Health Organisation said on Sunday that Omicron appeared to be spreading faster than the Delta variant.

Omicron was first identified in South Africa late last month, with health authorities still working to determine if its symptoms are more severe than those of previous strains.

Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews has ruled out pursuing an “Omicron zero” strategy.

“That is not a smart thing to do. That will not be achieved,” he said last week.

“We’ll be guided by the growing body of international evidence about the transmissibility and infectivity of this new variant but also the relatively positive signs that the disease is milder and certainly not more severe than the Delta variant.

“Our aim is to have as few rules as possible.”

Originally published as More than 700 people in quarantine after Omicron case visits Sircuit Bar and The Peel