Lockdown to be extended at least a week

Victoria’s sixth lockdown is set to be extended by at least a week amid fears of undetected cases, mystery outbreaks and rapid transmission.

Victoria’s lockdown is set to be extended by at least a week as authorities scramble to get on top of mystery cases. Picture: Ian Currie

Victoria’s sixth lockdown is almost certain to extend at least a week as authorities compare new coronavirus cases to “smouldering embers” that could restart fires.

Senior ministers told the Sunday Herald Sun that given the rate at which people were passing on the virus, they held little hope the shackles on families and businesses would ease on Thursday as scheduled.

Concerns emerged on Saturday about undetected cases in Melbourne’s southeast, with wastewater data showing virus fragments in sandbelt suburbs between Mordialloc and Seaford.

Health Minister Martin Foley urged anyone with any symptoms to get tested.

Of the 92 cases detected on Sunday, 61 were linked to current outbreaks.

Outbreaks of concern include Port Melbourne, and inner and outer northern suburbs and western suburbs out to Hobsons Bay and Melton.

This comes on top of 64 extra cases recorded on Friday.

Testing commander Jeroen Weimar said 99 per cent of Victorians were complying with lockdown orders to ensure the Covid “fire” was controlled and we “get our lives back for the spring”.

“We have got to put this fire out first. I need to make sure we have got control over those smouldering embers and that it’s not going to kick off another fire,” he said. “It’s too early for the chief health officer and the wider public health team to provide that advice as to whether we’ve done that yet.

A man walks along Brighton Beach during the city’s sixth lockdown. Picture: Darrian Traynor

“What we have achieved in three weeks is that the place hasn’t exploded, we have seen a really strong, robust control over these outbreaks.”

One minister said the reproduction rate – the number an infected person passes the virus to – was still too high while hovering above 1, with a reduction in that key metric as well as unlinked cases keys to restrictions easing.

Health Minister Martin Foley said on Saturday that Victoria would not go down the path of NSW, where some restrictions were eased, such as allowing five people to attend weddings, while cases grew.

Mr Foley said the state was pleading with the commonwealth for more vaccine doses.

He said demand among 18 to 39-year-olds, who have just become eligible, was incredible, while a new cohort of 12 to 15-year-olds was also due to come online – despite no assurances about extra supply.

More than half the state’s active Covid cases are in people under 30, with almost 150 children under 10 infected. There are 42 Victorians in hospital with Covid – 13 in intensive care and eight on ventilators. Mr Weimar said about 20,000 people were in isolation as primary close contacts, with a further 15,000 secondary contacts.