Another 484 coronavirus cases confirmed, Victorians failing to isolate when sick
An alarming number of Victorians are going out while feeling sick or awaiting COVID-19 test results, with Premier Daniel Andrews warning the lockdown will be extended if people keep failing to isolate. It comes as the state recorded a new daily high for virus cases and another meat processing plant shut down due to a number of cases.
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Premier Daniel Andrews says alarming new data shows Victorians are going out while sick and awaiting the results of COVID-19 testing.
The dire figures come as the state recorded 484 cases — the highest daily tally — and two new deaths.
The two deaths, both men in their 90s connected with aged care outbreaks, bring the state’s total number of deaths to 44.
Of the new cases, 97 are linked to known outbreaks.
There are 205 Victorians in hospital with the virus, of which 40 are in intensive care.
Mr Andrews said almost 9 in 10 Victorians — or 3400 out of 3810 cases — failed to properly isolate between July 7 and 21.
“I’m very unhappy and sad to report that nearly 9 in 10 case … did not self isolate between when they felt sick and when they got tested,” he said.
“That means people have felt unwell and just gone about their business. They have gone out shopping. They have gone to work. They have been at the height of their infectivity. And they have just continued on as usual.”
Mr Andrews said a further 53 per cent did not stay home after having a COVID-19 test and awaiting results.
“Unless we have people who get tested staying at home and isolating until they get their results, then we will not see these numbers come down,” he said.
“They will continue to go up and up.
“And a six-week shutdown will not be for six weeks. It will run for much longer than that.”
SHUTDOWN COULD LAST LONGER, NO STAGE FOUR PLANS: ANDREWS
Mr Andrews shut down rumours the state was soon to face further restrictions, but would not rule them out completely.
“There’s no announcements to be made today about any changes to the rules,” he said.
He said the government was focused on driving down the number of people who weren’t self isolating when ill or when waiting for their test results.
Chief Health Officer Professor Brett Sutton said Victoria was at a “challenging” time in the pandemic.
He forecasted a further rise in the number of cases in coming days.
“We’re in pretty tough times if we’re going to turn this around,” he said.
Prof Sutton said the virus was most infectious in the first few days of symptoms showing, making it critical to self-isolate and get tested early.
STAGE FOUR NOT THE SOLUTION: SUTTON
Prof Sutton warned a move to stage 4 restrictions may not be the best solution.
“I certainly wouldn’t even assume that a New Zealand lockdown would address the issues we have,” Prof Sutton said.
“New Zealand didn’t have significant community transmission … and it was much, much more straightforward.
“We have to be targeted in terms of seeing where the issues are.
“To go to a particular model of lockdown that worked for one country at one point in time is not the solution.
“It may well be that it’s an awful impost on the economy and on people’s lives with no material benefit if we go to a New Zealand-style lockdown.
“We have to understand where the transmission’s occurring and what measures will be most effective in reducing it.”
Prof Sutton said a reduction in household-to-household transmission was a sign the current restrictions were working.
ONE-OFF VIRUS PAYMENT FOR ‘INSECURE’ WORKERS
The Premier said the pattern of Victorians attending work while waiting for a test result was a “commentary on insecure work”.
People with COVID-19 and their close contacts will be eligible for a one-off $1500 payment, if they are not eligible for sick leave.
Mr Andrews urged Victorians to take up the offer.
“People who have, in their own judgment, no choice but to go to work sick or to go to work whilst waiting for a test result. We don’t want people to make those choices. 1800-675-398. Call that number and we will provide you with that support so that you can be at home and do the safe thing — the right thing.”
‘MASKS NOT A VACCINE’: ANDREWS
The Premier urged Victorians to wear face masks, but cautioned they were not a cure-all.
“Wearing a mask is not like a vaccine,” Mr Andrews said.
“If you’re sick, whether you’ve got a mask on, or two masks, or any other PPE, you should not be out shopping.
“You should not be going to work. You should be doing the only thing that you can and must do, and that is going and getting tested.”
NO MASK NO ENTRY
Mr Andrews warned shoppers could be turned away from Coles and Woolworths if they arrive at the story without a mask.
“The big supermarkets are very keen that I get the message out around mask wearing, for the safety of their staff, for the safety of other customers, and to keep stores open, so that there’s no issue about supplies of food or no greater issues than we might otherwise expect, you need to wear a mask if you’re going to the supermarket.
“And you may well be turned away if you turn up at your Coles, Woolies or IGA and you don’t have a mask on.”
Mr Andrews said he backed supermarkets to crack down on shoppers without masks.
“There’s not a police officer in every aisle,” he said.
“So, supermarkets — as businesses, who are required to maintain certain standards — are enforcing those things.
“And I support them saying to anybody who decides that they’re not wearing a mask and they don’t have a good reason for it, that they’re not coming in.”
ONE-THIRD OF CLOSE CONTACTS NOT ANSWERING DHHS CALLS
Prof Sutton urged Victorians to answer the phone when an unfamiliar or private number called, as the call is likely to be from contact tracing teams.
“A third of the people we’re following up on a daily basis, they’re not picking up the phone,” he said.
“So, if you’re getting that unidentified number, that may well be the Department of Health and Human Services.
If you’ve got a result and you know you’re positive, we are trying to contact you. So, please answer the phone.
“We will continue to try and contact people but, sometimes if people say they haven’t been contacted, it’s because they haven’t picked up their phone because they don’t recognise the number or because it’s a private number that’s coming up.
“We’ll work on other ways to engage with those individuals, including prompting for a doorknock.
DON’T ‘SOLDIER ON’ THROUGH COLD AND FLU SYMPTOMS
Health Minister Jenny Mikakos said the state headed into the winter months attitudes around seasonal illnesses needed to change.
“We are all accustomed to soldiering on during winter when we have cold and flu symptoms,” she said.
“We have to move away from doing that and in doing no favours to your work colleagues by going to work while you are sick.
“In fact, you are potentially putting them at grave danger of contracting coronavirus.
“So it is a winter like none we have experienced before.
It is so vitally important that people stay at home if they are experiencing even mild cold and flu symptoms and getting that test for coronavirus at the earliest opportunity.”
Ms Mikakos said the turnaround time for a coronavirus test was quite fast.
“The pathology labs turnaround for the last week have been averaging 1.8 days, so it is a relatively quick turnaround,” she said.
WHERE ARE THE CASES LOCATED?
Prof Sutton said cases in aged care homes were of some of the biggest concern.
He said cases at home were now evenly split between staff and residents.
“That is a huge challenge because everyone of those staff members is potentially passing it on to residents,” he said.
Prof Sutton said reducing the number of staff working across multiple worksites was imperative.
“We want it minimised to the fullest extent possible,” he said.
St Basil’s Home for the Aged in Fawkner had so many staff that tested positive or who were close contacts that a supplementary workforce had to be put in, the Premier said.
“There are 45 aged care settings with 85 positive cases,” Mr Andrews said.
“There are 300 positive cases overall in aged care.
“It’s roughly 50-50 in terms of workers and patients.”
“SIGNIFICANT NUMBER” OF HOSPITAL WORKERS IN SELF-ISOLATION
The Premier said many healthcare workers were self-isolating.
“That is a product both of transmission in healthcare settings and also a product with the amount of community transmission we have got," he said.
“When we say health workers, it is not just surgeons — it is nurses, ambulance people, doctors, no matter what speciality or what part of the hospital they work in, it is orderlies, clerks, books, cleaners, car park attendants … The whole team.”
BLANKET WORKFORCE TESTING AN OPTION
The Premier said Victorians who returned a negative test should not become complacent.
“A test is only a snapshot in time,” he said.
“It’s not like it’s a passport to being illness-free that you can then carry around with you for a fortnight or a period of time.
“The very next day, you could become infected.”
Mr Andrews said blanket testing across a workforce was a possibility.
“We have done blanket testing in some settings, and if that was deemed an appropriate measure, we wouldn’t hesitate to too do it again,” he said.
“I don’t think it would be industry-wide, but it might be an entire workforce.
“It’s something that might be needed in the future.”
MASKS HERE TO STAY
The Premier said toddlers should not be wearing masks.
“Kids 12 and up should be, but under that age, they’re not required to, and babies and toddlers should not be wearing masks,” he said.
“Do not buy those products. Do not use those products.”
Mr Andrews said Victorians would be required to wear masks for the foreseeable future.
“It’s far too early for us to speculate on when masks will no longer be required,” he said.
“What I can say is they’ll be required so long as they can make a difference.
“If we can get virus levels to such a low point that they’re deemed not necessarily of any use any further, then we wouldn’t be asking people to wear them.
“But I think masks are going to be a feature not just of this second wave, but they will be a feature of preventing a third wave and everything that comes after that.”
Prof Sutton urged Victorians not to “vilify” others not wearing masks.
“You will see some people who were not wearing masks and a number of them are legitimately not able to wear masks, so please don’t vilify individuals or don’t make the assumption that they are simply stubborn and refusing to wear masks,” he said.
“There will be people with medical, behavioural, psychological reasons not to wear a mask.
“Certainly don’t make an assumption that they should be the subject of your ire.”
INGHAMS PLANT SHUT DOWN
Production has been shut down at the Inghams Thomastown processing plant after five employees tested positive for COVID-19.
The chicken processing plant has been temporarily closed, with all employees directed to self-isolate at home.
In a statement released on Wednesday, Inghams chief executive Jim Leighton said it was “imperative” the company worked to help control the spread of coronavirus.
“The closure of Thomastown is a proactive step taken on our part, and we are well prepared to manage through this disruption,” Mr Leighton said.
It is understood Inghams other sites across Australia will remain in operation, with New Zealand operations unaffected.
The closure is the latest in a number of processing plants to be shut down due to coronavirus cases.
Real the full story here.
- By Madeleine Stuchbery, The Weekly Times
TROUBLED YOUTH PRISON HIT BY THREE MORE VIRUS CASES
The state’s youth justice system has been plagued by another three teaching staff testing positive to the coronavirus.
Four employees at the Malmsbury Youth Justice Centre have now contracted the contagious virus, throwing the trouble-plagued prison into a prolonged lockdown.
A female education co-ordinator based at Parkville College was the first to test positive last week and three teachers employed by the Department of Education have additionally tested positive.
Movement is restricted within the facility and prisoners will remain in lockdown while contact tracing takes place.
Read the full story here.
CHILDCARE CLUSTERS GROW
Three children in four-year-old kinder at a popular childcare centre in Melbourne’s southeast have tested positive for coronavirus.
The three new infections at the Hope Early Learning Centre in Frankston Heights come five days after a staff member returned a positive result for COVID-19.
The Robina St, which has up 120 children come through its doors each day, has been closed since July 16.
Centre manage Andrea Puddy told NCA NewsWire staff were working with the Department of Health and Human Services on close contact tracing.
“We’ve followed all DHHS instructions, we’ve had plenty of hand sanitiser at our site and have made sure our cleaning processes have been as thorough as possible,” she said.
The site will be closed until further notice.
Another Melbourne childcare provider shut one of its 12 sites on Tuesday after three workers tested positive to coronavirus.
Nino Early Learning Adventures closed its Bundoora centre for deep cleaning after an administration team member, and two educators became infected.
Two children and two staff members also tested positive for COVID-19 at the Ada Mary A’Beckett Children’s Centre in Port Melbourne on Tuesday.
– Anthony Piovesan
LAW FIRM PROBED OVER OUTBREAK
WorkSafe is probing an outbreak of coronavirus at a Melbourne law firm after concerns were raised about staff working from the office instead of at home.
HWL Ebsworth has come under scrutiny after six members of its team contracted COVID-19 earlier this month.
Health officials now believe at least one lawyer who had coronavirus worked at the company’s Collins St office while infectious on June 29 and 30 — but the firm said no one had symptoms at the time and a positive test was not returned until about a week later.
Authorities are also likely to look at how the virus spread to three graduates who attended a dinner of 18 junior staff at the Saint and Rogue pub on July 3.
A company whistleblower said select teams had been told of a positive case in the workforce before everyone was alerted on July 7. Two floors were cleared for deep cleaning, which occurred on July 10.
But national marketing manager Russell Mailler said the firm was unaware of a positive case on July 3.
“We had no reason to believe that any of our team members were carrying the coronavirus on Friday, July 3 as no team members were experiencing any symptoms at that time,” he said.
This week Premier Daniel Andrews hit out at those thumbing their nose at his work-from-home directives after 80 per cent of outbreaks in Melbourne had been linked to work sites.
AGED CARE HOME SENT INTO LOCKDOWN
A second Villa Maria aged care home has been sent into lockdown after a positive case of COVID-19.
The St Bernadette’s facility, in Sunshine North, released a statement this morning confirming a “visiting health professional” has tested positive to the virus.
The worker was at the site on Wednesday July 15 and the home has closed as a precaution.
“As a precautionary measure, St Bernadette’s Aged Care Residence is now in full lockdown,” the statement reads.
“Residents who were in close contact are now in isolation within the residence and will undergo testing.
“Staff who were in close contact will be tested and will self-isolate at home, for a period of 14 days.”
The facility said they were monitoring residents closely and would seek medical help and alert families if any signs of the virus were to appear.
– Alanah Frost
WOOLWORTHS PARKMORE WORKER TESTS POSITIVE
A Woolworths staff member at Parkmore shopping centre in Keysborough has tested positive for coronavirus.
In a statement from centre management, the centre said the affected individual was present at the supermarket between Wednesday, July 15 between 2.45pm and 8pm and Saturday, July 18 between 4pm and 7pm.
“As a result, they have notified all staff members who have been in close contact with the individual to self-isolate until they receive their tests results,” centre management said in a statement.
The supermarket was closed for a deep clean and reopened on Wednesday morning.
“Centre management continues to monitor the situation, and will work with the relevant health authorities and governing bodies to follow all advice and guidance issued with regards to coronavirus.
“The Parkmore team will also continue with precautionary hygiene measures already implemented, including heightened cleaning regimes.”
– Suzan Delibasic
MORE SCHOOLS CLOSE
Epping Secondary College and Diamond Valley College have both shut to students today.
A positive case at Diamond Valley Secondary College means it will undergo a deep clean and contact tracing has begun.
The case is a little different for Epping Secondary College, which has closed on Wednesday for precautionary reasons after the school received a report of a possible positive test.
“As a precautionary measure I am requesting that no students attend school tomorrow (Wednesday),” a statement said.
It comes as the Herald Sun revealed on Tuesday that almost 70 schools across the state had been forced to shut due to the coronavirus pandemic, with an expert calling for schools across the state to close to prevent the spread of the virus.
– James Mottershead
SURFER AND PARTYGOERS FINED
A surfer and a group of partygoers were among dozens of people fined more than $100,000 for breaching coronavirus restrictions in the past 24 hours.
Police fined 61 people for flouting lockdown orders, including a surfer who drove from Strathmore to the Surf Coast to catch some waves.
Police also fined multiple people at a party in Monash and a group of people drinking alcohol while seated at a park bench in the city.
Nineteen infringements were also issued at vehicle checkpoints across the state.
More than 20, triple-0 vehicles were checked on main arterial roads including those at the metropolitan boundary.
– Aneeka Simonis
CLOSE WATCH AS DEADLINE PASSES
The Victorian government is desperately trying to avoid stage four restrictions despite another massive jump in the state’s coronavirus tally.
Wednesday marks the two-week deadline Premier Daniel Andrews and Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton had set as the point when tighter rules would be introduced if cases were still skyrocketing.
On Tuesday the Premier announced 374 new cases and three deaths, taking the state’s toll to 42.
The increase was one of the biggest daily surges since the pandemic began and took Victoria’s total cases to 6289.
However, Mr Andrews backed away from a stage four announcement, saying “we are taking it one day at a time”.
Instead of further shutdowns he announced the incoming mandatory mask policy, to start on Thursday, as the next step.
“A couple of points we have made consistently — things will need to get worse before they got better,” he said.
“Then there will need to be a period of relative stability and then until you achieve that, any reduction wouldn’t be meaningful.
“So it’s too early for us to be talking about next steps.”
IMPACT OF JOBKEEPER, JOBSEEKER CHANGES REVEALED
LEFT HIGH AND DRY BY JOBKEEPER
New small businesses are being forced to fend for themselves with no government support despite being thrown back into lockdown.
Husband and wife team Kris Medson and Milan Gnawali have been left fighting to survive after opening their Seymour cafe on June 1 after restrictions across the state eased.
The lawyer and chef had planned to open the cafe in April, but postponed because of the pandemic.
They were open for just five weeks before metropolitan Melbourne and the Mitchell Shire, which includes Seymour, were sent back into lockdown.
“We had fantastic support from the community, we were doing really well, we were getting very positive feedback about our food and our coffee,” Ms Medson said.
But they do not qualify for JobKeeper because it is only for businesses that employed staff before the coronavirus pandemic began.
“We might be able to make it through, but that’s going to mean ongoing difficulties on the other end,” Ms Medson said.
WAGE HELP LIFTS BIT OF WEIGHT OF UNCERTAINTY
For gym owner Simon Olive the key to surviving the past few months has been living day to day.
Mr Olive, who runs Anytime Fitness in Kew with wife Merryn and daughter Hannah, said his business had been hit hard by two lockdowns, but they had managed to hold on with the JobKeeper supplement.
“Businesses like mine are at the eye of the storm,” he said. “Without JobKeeper we would be haemorrhaging even more.
“Getting through is a real case of worry about what you can influence and don’t waste emotional energy on things you can’t.”
With the future looking uncertain, Mr Olive said the announcement the scheme would continue until next year was a weight off his shoulders.
“It’s a step in the right direction; you can’t hang your entire future on that,” he said. “It’s one small piece of a bigger picture; we need this whole COVID-19 situation to be managed one way or the other. What we can’t afford to have is this opening and closing again.”
Mr Olive said in the two weeks they were open before the second lockdown he saw at-first hesitant clients returning, but he wasn’t so sure this would happen when the second lockdown eventually lifted.
“If you want to support local, don’t cancel your memberships, come to the gym and adhere to all of the sanitising and hygiene procedures,” he said.
REGIONAL ABATTOIR WORKERS SENT HOME
More than 700 workers at a regional meat processing plant have been forced to self-isolate after a coronavirus outbreak.
The massive lockdown of staff connected to the Australian Lamb abattoir in Colac was ordered after 13 cases were linked to the site.
All 718 staff from the main processing floor have been told to get tests in Geelong, overseen by Colac Area Health, and stay at home.
Schools in the area have also been forced to close, after family members of abattoir workers also tested positive.
Investigations are now under way into whether the COVID-19 cluster stemmed from another abattoir, JBS in Brooklyn in Melbourne’s west, where a worker may have given the virus to a relative who worked at Australian Lamb.
Agriculture Minister Jaclyn Symes told the ABC this week Australian Lamb had ensured staff were being tested and that WorkSafe were assisting the clean-up.
But Polwarth MP, Liberal Richard Riordan, accused health authorities of dropping the ball and said contact tracing had taken too long to do.
“Country people have a long history of dealing well with a crisis but we need DHHS to step up, provide relevant and current information and assist the community so that we can work through this epidemic,” he said.
Australian Lamb is one of the biggest employers in the Colac Otway region.
All of those who work on the main meat processing floor, which is a large proportion of the 1000-strong workforce, have been classed as a potential close contact of those who contracted the coronavirus, which has led to the shutdown of the plant for two weeks and a deep clean.
A spokesman for the company said other processing options were being investigated to keep the supply of meat going, and it was assisting staff awaiting results.
“We are going to be helping the community as much as we possibly can over the coming period,” he said.
FREE PANDEMIC KIT HANDOUT AT TWO SITES
Free pandemic kits including masks and sanitisers will be distributed in two locations on Wednesday.
The idea came from Tony Lotzof, who was moved on overhearing an elderly couple at a bakery saying “Can we afford to buy bread and masks?”
Mr Lotzof raised more than $2000 from a GoFundMe page and bought up supplies.
Coronavirus kits with five level-three surgical/protective masks and a 60ml bottle of sanitiser will be handed out on Wednesday at Virginia Park, Bentleigh East, at 11am, and at Oak Park Leisure Centre at 1pm.
Moreland deputy mayor Oscar Yildiz, who will hand out kits in Oak Park, said Mr Lotzof had contacted him when he heard of the outbreaks in the northern suburbs.
“Many in our communities have lost jobs and are financially struggling, to the extent they may not be able to buy masks at exorbitant prices, if they can find them,” Mr Yildiz said.
Mr Lotzof wants to extend the pandemic kits project to both eastern and western suburbs.
gofundme.com/f/ give-a-family-some-masks
THE STORES THAT WILL BAN MASKLESS SHOPPERS
Shoppers without a mask will be refused entry at some major stores this week as new COVID-19 rules come into force.
Retailers including Myer, Bunnings, Officeworks, Target and Kmart will be enforcing a “no mask, no entry” rule from Thursday in line with new government guidelines to stop the spread of the virus.
The new rules will mostly apply to residents in metropolitan Melbourne and Mitchell Shire, and will come into effect from 11.59pm on Wednesday.
Australian Retailers Association chief Paul Zahra said it was about “safety first”.
“The situation in Victoria remains very concerning and it’s safety first,” he said.
“We need to get ahead of this, we need to stick to the rules and what we’re trying to avoid here is the potential of a stage four (restriction).
“And we’re asking everybody adjust to this as the new normal.”
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