Victorians urged to avoid several Melbourne areas marked as coronavirus hotspots amid second wave fears
Six local government areas have been identified as virus hotspots, with Victorians urged to avoid those areas until community transmission of coronavirus can be brought under control. The dramatic escalation comes as the state recorded 19 coronavirus cases overnight.
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Victorians are being urged to stay away from six local government areas in a dramatic escalation of efforts to prevent a second wave of the coronavirus pandemic.
The national medical expert panel says it “strongly discourages travel to and from” the areas of Hume, Casey, Brimbank, Moreland, Cardinia and Darebin.
While gyms are set to reopen and community sport resumes tomorrow, tough new limits have been slapped on household visits and outdoor gatherings after another 19 cases were confirmed today.
With health chiefs warning the state is on a “tipping point” of a second wave, the medical expert panel decided tonight to discourage travel in hotspot areas “until control of community transmission has been confirmed”.
Premier Daniel Andrews had flagged the possibility of local lockdowns over the weekend, and it will be up to the Victorian Government to determine how the new advice is applied.
The Herald Sun understands the Federal Government has offered its support to tackle the outbreak as 10 more cases were acquired from an unknown source.
This could involve federal assistance with contact tracing, or even Defence Force members assisting with logistics or door-to-door checks, although Mr Andrews said on Saturday he did not think “it will get to that”.
As of today, there were collectively 42 active cases across the six problematic council areas.
The state’s health minister, Jenny Mikakos said Stay At Home Directions would be targeted at high-risk areas if needed.
I live in Darebin, one of the current #COVID19 hotspots. If needed, Stay at Home Directions will be targeted to these hotspot areas. I urge residents in Hume, Brimbank, Casey, Darebin, Moreland & Cardinia to limit their movements as much as possible to stay safe #springst 1/2
— Jenny Mikakos MP #StayHomeSaveLives (@JennyMikakos) June 21, 2020
A State Government spokeswoman said people in the six local government areas needed to be “particularly vigilant”.
She said they should be “adhering strictly to the rules including limiting visitors to their home, leaving home only when necessary, practicing physical distancing and good hygiene at all times – and immediately getting tested if they have even the mildest of symptoms”.
“Our message to every Victorian remains clear – if you can work from home, you must work from home. Minimising the number of people on public transport and in common areas is the best thing we can do to reduce our levels of community transmission and get case numbers down,” the spokeswoman said.
“If we keep seeing high case numbers each day, we will have to consider returning whole suburbs back to stay at home directions. We have not reached that stage yet.”
St Monica’s College in Epping also confirmed on Sunday that it would it will close on Monday after a staff member tested positive for the virus.
It has shut early ahead of the start of school holidays this weekend.
Principal Brian Hanley said in a letter to parents that the closure “will allow time for the school and DHHS to undertake a full risk assessment and appropriate cleaning of the college site to occur on the recommendation of DHHS”.
“This includes identifying and notifying any person who has been in close recent contact with the affected staff member who has tested positive for COVID-19,” the letter said.
“Affected students, their families and college staff will be notified by the DHHS over the next 24 hours and supported to ensure they understand what actions to take.”
All students have been advised to remain at home will contact tracing occurs.
“I understand this news will be concerning for many of you,” Mr Hanley said.
“I want to assure you we are doing everything we can to contain and slow the spread of the virus, and ensure the health and safety of our whole school community.”
It comes as two other schools were confirmed to have been linked to coronavirus cases today.
SCHOOLS, STAMFORD PLAZA AND GRILL’D HIGHPOINT LINKED TO CASES
There have been 19 new cases of coronavirus in Victoria confirmed today, with several of the new cases linked to known outbreaks and another school has been closed.
Of the new cases, one was a Grade 3 student from St Mary’s Primary School in Hampton. Families of other students have been notified, the school has been closed for cleaning and contact tracing is underway.
Another case has been linked to a family in Keilor Downs.
It is a close contact and takes the total number linked to that outbreak to 11, which is spread across nine households.
One of these previously established cases attended Keilor Downs College for two days while infectious, and the school will undergo a deep clean and contact tracing is underway.
One new case is linked to a Coburg family, which brings that outbreak to 14.
Three new of the cases have been linked to the Stamford Plaza Hotel, bringing that outbreak to 12. One previously linked case has been removed from the total following further investigation. The new cases are all contractors who work at the hotel.
One case has been confirmed in a Grill’d Highpoint employee who worked one shift while infectious last week. The restaurant will undergo a deep clean.
Four of the cases were detected in returned travellers already in hotel quarantine and eight cases were under investigation.
Australian Deputy Chief Medical Officer Dr Nick Coatsworth said Victoria had recorded 116 cases in the last week, compared to 35 in previous weeks.
“Those numbers are of concern,” he said.
“It is a timely reminder that in a population that is not immune to the virus, we will get from time to time outbreaks and clusters.”
Essendon player Conor McKenna’s positive diagnosis is counted in yesterday’s 19 cases, with the football club closed for deep cleaning.
Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton said Essendon’s potential to continue to play games would depend on the number of players who were considered as close contacts of McKenna.
“The AFL already has an existing protocol that will minimise the close contacts that any one player will have, they will implement that accordingly,” he said.
Victorians were warned that the virus situation was at a “tipping point” as Prof Sutton urged the public to pay close attention to social distancing restrictions over the next two months.
“Victoria could get to a point where we don’t have to worry about this, we could drive transmission down to a point where we could get back to a substantially normal existence,” he said.
“We have to hold the reins, particularly this month and next month and see where we’re at from there.”
The Lifeview Willow Wood in Cranbourne was visited by the outbreak squad yesterday and the Royal Freemasons Springtime in Sydenham is closed.
No visitors are allowed at nursing homes in lockdown.
There are now 121 active cases in Victoria.
The death rate remains at 19 with seven patients in hospital including two in intensive care.
More than 660,000 tests, an increase of 15,400 since yesterday.
The State of Emergency in Victoria has been extended until 11.59pm on July 19.
Health Minister Jenny Mikakos said it was extended as there was still a health emergency in Victoria.
“We have been concerned by the increasing numbers that we have seen in recent days,” she said.
“We have had particular concern around family gatherings … and, very concerningly, even going to work when they have mild symptoms.”
Victoria Police have been working on an operating model over the last 36 hours since the changes to restrictions were announced, with the new focus likely to be the key hotspot areas of the new outbreaks.
Prof Sutton said that he was open to making wearing a mask in public mandatory and said that he would do “whatever is required” to wipe out the virus in Victoria.
“I remain open to the idea. I think we have to bear in mind that we will do whatever is required that might help to turn things around in Victoria, because we need to get to a point where we are driving numbers back down to zero,” he said.
“I’ll raise the issue with my AHPPC colleagues, I’m on the phone to them shortly, and I will raise it as a consideration for Victoria.”
After several confirmed cases in schools across Melbourne over the weekend, Prof Sutton said the Department of Health will continue to review it’s school policy.
However, he said he doesn’t believe there is a need for schools to be closed again and students to return to at home learning.
“Of course it has to be under review continuously, as it was when schools weren’t opened, but it wasn’t a case of transmission occurring in schools and driving the cases in the community – it’s really the other way around.
“I don’t think that’s a reason to close schools at this juncture but as I said, it’s under review every day.”
Commenting on a case where a teacher had tested positive for the virus, Prof Sutton said that cases among students and teachers are rarely acquired in school.
“We don’t know how that teacher has acquired it. As is the case with all schools, we’ll look at the close contacts of that teacher,” he said
“It probably means there will be a class in quarantine for that two week period but we will always do the investigation into where that teacher might have acquired it.
“It’s often in household settings. For students and teachers, we find they pick up in settings outside school almost overwhelmingly”
POLICE TARGET VIRUS HOTSPOTS
Police Minister Lisa Neville said the force would ramp up patrols to ensure the public are sticking to social distancing regulations.
Ms Neville said that the new police model will focus on hotspot areas, the school holidays and the ski season.
“Police will look at a similar model to what they used at Easter, making sure there are a lot of patrols and making sure that people are doing the right thing when it comes to people doing the 10 person gathering rule outside and five person gatherings at home,” she said.
“This is not the time to be complacent, this is the time to remind ourselves that we all have a role to play in stopping this virus in the community.”
Ms Neville said Victoria Police would fine anyone in breach of the Chief Health Officer’s directives.
“Police are ready to go with the model. They will, as they have throughout this, look to fine those people and enforce against those people who are undertaking deliberate, blatant and obvious breaches.
“People should be in no doubt that this is again serious and we all have a role to play.
“This can’t just be a police responsibility, it needs all of us to step up again and to take this seriously.
“We’ve had particular concerns around family gathering.
“Family members have been visiting each other even with mild symptoms and even going to work with mild symptoms”
Incoming chief commissioner Shane Patton said checks on those quarantining at home would be increased.
“When you’re enforcing, when it’s a deliberate, obvious and blatant breach that people should have been aware of but chose to disregard it, then we will enforce,” he said
“We will continue our doorknocks under Operation Sentinel.”
Ms Neville warned against any future protests, saying that rallies would be taken “very seriously”.
“Everyone said that [the Black Lives Matter] protest shouldn’t happen and people shouldn’t go – it was against the Chief Health Officers orders and directives,” she said
“Police need to make operational decisions about how to keep public order and that’s what they did.
“They issued fines against the organisers, they made choices around how you keep public order in a situation where there were very difficult and emotive issues that people were protesting about.
The Police Minister added: “But let me be clear, people should not protest.
“We’re going back [public groups] going down to 10, this idea of pretending you’re in groups of ten but there really are thousands will be taken very seriously.
“So people, please stay home and find different ways to protest, to get your issues out while we go through this.”
No protesters at Saturday’s Extinction Rebellion rally were issued any fines by police but Victoria Police Deputy Commissioner Shane Patton confirmed that three activists had been arrested.
“I’m advised that they adhered to the Chief Health Officer’s guidelines and didn’t congregate in more than groups of 20,” he said
“None of them received COVID infringements under the CHOs guidelines. We arrested three for breaching obstruction and failing to obey directions.”
Federal Cabinet minister Keith Pitt took a swipe at the Andrews Government over its handling of the Black Lives Matter protests when asked about the spike in coronavirus cases in Victoria.
“Those facts will be established through contact tracing and other means. But once again, you’re out telling families that they can’t get together with family and friends but you allow 30,000 people, a lot of which in high risk categories, to get together for a protest,” he told Sky News.
“Well, I think your viewers know very well what the cause of some of these outbreaks may be.”
Three people who attended the protest in Melbourne have been diagnosed with COVID-19.
FEARS OF SECOND WAVE GROW
Victoria is on the brink of a devastating new wave of coronavirus infection.
A massive spike in positive tests, including Essendon footballer Conor McKenna, has sparked fears a new peak is coming for Victoria that could lead to new restrictions.
Premier Daniel Andrews told Victorians: “Don’t visit friends and family. Don’t go on holiday. Don’t go to work. Stay home.’’
In a dramatic day yesterday:
ESSENDON’S match today was postponed as its players faced a 14-day isolation following McKenna’s test;
SUBURB AN lockdowns are on the cards to stop localised outbreaks;
EASING of COVID-19 restrictions has been axed;
NEW border restrictions are under consideration.
McKenna was in self-isolation last night as the AFL discussed contingencies, and teammates faced an anxious wait to see if they too had been infected.
The Sunday Herald Sun understands the Federal Government raised concerns last week about the rising number of cases and the message sent by the Black Lives Matter rally a fortnight ago.
EXPLAINER: WHAT’S CHANGING IN VICTORIA FROM JUNE 22
ANDREWS THREAT TO LOCK DOWN OUTER SUBURBS
Melbourne’s outer suburbs could be locked down and residents subjected to door-to-door checks to slow the latest surge of coronavirus.
The local government areas of Hume, Brimbank and Casey have been driving the increase in coronavirus cases this month and Premier Daniel Andrews warned geographical restrictions might be introduced within days if large family outbreaks continued.
After discussing the measures with Prime Minister Scott Morrison, Mr Andrews said a strict lockdown of hot spots with “unacceptable levels of community transmission” was called for under the national road map to reopen Australia.
The move would result in all residents in the target suburbs confined to home unless they were shopping for essentials, seeking medical or compassionate care, exercising, or undertaking work that was not possible to do from home.
Other areas would be more free to go about their lives.
“I cannot rule out the notion of hot spots where we see substantial community transmission being the subject of lockdowns,” Mr Andrews said.
“It may be the case in the days ahead that we have to move to those local government areas or suburbs where some of this activity has gone on, where the data tells us a very clear story that there are extra cases.” So far in June, Hume (17 cases), Brimbank (10), Casey (seven) and Darebin, Moreland and Cardinia (six cases each) have emerged as coronavirus hot spots, although Mr Andrews has not spelt out a timeline for the proposed measures and the trends could change over the coming weeks.
While he conceded it would be “complex” to operate with differing levels of restrictions, Mr Andrews said Victoria Police had done an excellent job in overseeing the rules.
“We will go door to door getting the message out there,” Mr Andrews said.
“We will go door to door if we have to make sure people are doing the right thing.”
FAMILY OUTBREAKS BLAMED FOR SPIKE
Irresponsible families are being blamed for placing Victoria on the brink of a second wave of coronavirus and plunging the state into another stage of restrictions.
As fresh COVID-19 cases continue to spiral, family gatherings will again be limited to no more than five guests per household, or groups of 10 in public spaces, from midnight tonight.
Premier Daniel Andrews also foreshadowed far tougher measures in the days and weeks ahead, including the lockdown of entire suburbs with unacceptable levels of community transmission.
Victoria’s Chief Health Officer, Professor Brett Sutton, said: “We are absolutely at risk of a second peak.”
An easing of restrictions for pubs, restaurants and cafes planned for tomorrow was abandoned after Victoria yesterday recorded another 25 cases of coronavirus — only one of those was a returned international traveller.
The Federal Government has raised concerns that the spike occurred two weeks after thousands of Victorians marched in the streets for the Black Lives Matter protests.
The new cases have affected three schools — Albanvale Primary, Springside Primary in Caroline Springs and Camberwell Grammar.
Two aged-care homes — Cranbourne’s Lifeview Willow Wood and Sydenham’s Royal Freemasons Springtime — have been placed into lockdown.
Seven new cases were linked to a family in Keilor Downs, which now has 10 infected members across six households and another 50 close contacts in quarantine.
The surge in cases has included several families who have gathered in large numbers at home despite being ordered to isolate separately, including some who had tested positive for coronavirus.
“We have seen some families who have not done as they have been asked,” Mr Andrews said.
“We’ve had many stories, numerous stories, of families that have given it to each other and have then transmitted the virus to other families who have in turn passed it on to a third group. We will go door to door if we have to, to make sure people are doing the right thing.”
Other cases have included people returning to work while knowingly COVID-19 positive, prompting Mr Andrews to announce a hardship fund providing up to $1500 for those who cannot access sick leave.
Prof Sutton said there was no Plan B — Victorians had to heed the message immediately.
“This is the crossroads. We are at a point where we have to turn it around or the numbers get beyond us,” he said.
“But we can get on top of it and we must get on top of it because this virus doubles every week.”
There could be relief for regional Victoria though, with the Premier considering an easing of restrictions for areas free of community transmission.
A closing of the NSW border to Victorians from coronavirus hot spots was also being negotiated after the state detected 77 new COVID-19 cases in the past four days.
In an even more worrying trend, of the state’s 315 community transmissions since April 27, 155 have been passed on within a person’s own household or family.
With almost 1000 Victorians now placed in isolation and regarded as close contacts of infected cases, Prof Sutton said the Department of Health’s ability to monitor outbreaks would be exhausted if the trend was not reversed in the coming weeks.
The Sunday Herald Sun understands federal health minister Greg Hunt and Chief Medical Officer Professor Brendan Murphy raised concerns about rising case numbers in Victoria at the start of last week.
One senior government source said the Federal Government watched the rise in cases and by Friday thought the state was dealing with a “significant problem”.
On Friday, Mr Hunt spoke to Victorian health authorities as well as his state counterpart and the message was clear: if Victoria needed to bring back tougher restrictions, the Federal Government would not be critical.
Yesterday, Mr Andrews called Prime Minister Scott Morrison about the spike and informed him that the state would not be easing restrictions tomorrow as planned. Mr Morrison emphasised his support for localised lockdowns, similar to that used in northwest Tasmania.
The Federal Government raised concerns over the large turnout at the Black Lives Matter protest in Melbourne a fortnight ago, while a senior government source said it “inadvertently sent a message that COVID-19 was over”.
“Those double standards broke trust and people simply gave up,” the source said.
Mr Hunt said Victoria had now agreed to a plan for “testing, tracing and where necessary, localised responses”.
“It is an absolutely clear reminder that this is not over, that the disease is still out there, and that while we are making progress, social distancing and avoiding mass gatherings such as protests is even more important,” Mr Hunt said.
Despite the spike in Victoria, the border with NSW is unlikely to close, due to potential difficulties faced by border communities such as Echuca-Moama and Albury-Wodonga.
GYMS TO REOPEN
Fitness fanatics can finally get their blood pumping again as gyms across the state throw open their doors after remaining off-limits for months.
From 12:01am tomorrow indoor sport centres can have up to 20 gym-goers for each space and 10 people in a class.
Chapel Street’s Kaya Health Club will be the first gym in Victoria to open to the public when the clock strikes midnight.
Founder Christian Ruggeri said the health club’s online classes had been a hit but nothing compares to sweating it out face-to-face.
“Members can only be motivated in front of a screen for so long”, Mr Ruggeri said.
“The only reason we are opening is to re-engage with our members and with our team”.
Bodhi and Ride chief executive Michaela Fellner said the South Yarra cycle studio would operate classes capped at 10 clients.
Those who missed out could borrow equipment from the studio to work out at home.
“About 100 bikes have been loaned out but we really want to have more people back because we can deliver classes safely”, Ms Fellner said.
“It’s a lifeline for us to keep out members engaged.”
Chapel Street Precinct Association general manager Chrissie Maus said: “Our growing health and fitness sector has been preparing for this day for a very long time and they will lead the way in hygiene standards to ensure the safety of their clients.”