Rolling coverage: Chadstone cluster linked to outbreak in Frankston family
A number of popular stores at Chadstone Shopping Centre have been added to the growing list of high-risk COVID-19 hot spots in the area. It comes as authorities urged residents in Anglesea to get tested amid new evidence coronavirus could be silently lurking in the community.
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Victoria has hit a grim milestone after recording its 800th coronavirus death overnight.
The latest fatalities include a woman in her 70s and another woman in her 90s. Both were linked to aged care.
Fifteen new cases of coronavirus were also detected in the past 24 hours.
The consistently low infection numbers mean Melbourne‘s all-important 14-day average remains firmly below 20, standing at 15.6.
That figure must dip below five for the city to completely reopen.
Seven of today’s new cases have been linked to known outbreaks or complex cases. Three are linked to aged care (Bupa Edithvale, TLC Noble Manor in Noble Park and Opal Hobsons Bay in Altona North) and four are linked to the Butcher Club at Chadstone Shopping Centre. The other eight cases remain under investigation.
Included in today’s cases are five cases in Casey, two cases in Greater Dandenong, Maribyrnong and Monash and single cases in Boroondara, Glen Eira, Wyndham and Yarra.
In another milestone there are 298 active cases of COVID-19, with the figure marking the first time cases have dipped below 300 since June 29.
Thirty-eight Victorians are in hospital, including six in intensive care, three of which are on a ventilator.
Active cases across the state include 135 in aged-care, one in disability care, and 45 among healthcare workers.
There are also three active cases in regional Victoria, but no new cases were recorded today.
There are 19 cases of an unknown source in metropolitan Melbourne and none across regional Victoria.
The state is still battling mystery cases in 14 LGAs prompting Deputy Chief Health Officer Allen Cheng to warn there was evidence the virus was still circulating in the community.
If cases remain low, Premier Daniel Andrews expects Melbourne to take the third step of the state‘s COVID-19 recovery road map on October 19, a week earlier than originally scheduled.
“People can be rightly optimistic and hopeful about October 19”, he said.
“We’ve just got to find that within ourselves, despite the challenges, despite the frustration, which is a perfectly understandable thing.
“We’re confident we’ll be able to build a COVID-normal Christmas, a COVID-normal summer, and a virus at such a low level that we can sustain that over the long term.
“That may even be for the majority, or indeed the entirety of 2021.”
MORE CHADSTONE STORES ADDED TO HIGH RISK LIST
A number of popular stores at Chadstone Shopping Centre have been added to the growing list of high-risk coronavirus hot spots around Melbourne.
“The locations listed are where there is a higher risk you may have been exposed to coronavirus (COVID-19),” the Department of Health and Human Services website says.
“The information is based on advice provided to the department by people who are confirmed cases.
“Risk locations will remain on the list for 14 days from the most recent exposure.
“The locations on this list are not a current risk to the public and you can visit them in line with current restrictions.”
Authorities say anyone who visited the locations during the dates should watch for symptoms and immediately get tested if symptoms do occur.
The new risk locations include:
— Hedgley Dene Gardens, Tollington Ave Malvern East, 27 Sept 10:30-11:30am
— Chemist Warehouse Burwood, 1424 Toorak Rd, 20 Sept 4pm
— Aldi Chadstone, 19 Sept 8-9am
— Woolworths Chadstone, 19 Sept 8-9am
The following lcations were added to the list on Wednesday:
— Woolworths Ashwood on 26 Sept,
— Coles Chadstone on 27 Sept,
— Chadstone Shopping Centre Fresh Food Precinct on 23-26 Sept between 6am-6pm,
— The Butcher Club – Chadstone Shopping Centre on 23-26 Sept between 6am-6pm.
LINK BETWEEN CHADSTONE AND FRANKSTON OUTBREAKS
Deputy Chief Health Officer Allen Cheng has revealed that contact tracers have found a link between outbreaks at Chadstone shopping centre and Frankston.
The Frankston cases involve a household but it is believed there has been no public exposure at this time, however anyone with symptoms is being urged to get tested.
“We have a bit of a situation in Frankston that is linked to the Chadstone cases,” Dr Cheng said.
It is understood one of residents in the Frankston household was working as a butcher at Chadstone shopping centre.
“So at Chadstone, there have been eight cases in the fresh food part of Chadstone. The staff have been contact traced and cleaning has occurred.”
Me Cheng said the risk to people who have visited Chadstone “was very small”
A drive-through clinic has opened at Chadstone’s Golfers Drive, Gate 4 and there is going to be a pop-up drive-through clinic in the Chadstone shopping centre from tomorrow.
At Frankston, there is a pop-up clinic at the Peninsula Aquatic Centre.
ANGLESEA RESIDENTS ANSWER CALL TO GET TESTED
A second Anglesea wastewater sample has been found to contain viral fragments of coronavirus, with authorities urging residents to get tested.
Dr Cheng said it is likely to be a resident who was the source of the find.
“Because they’re two different tests over different days, it’s likely that it’s not someone that’s just passing through Anglesea, it’s likely to be a resident,” he said.
“This could mean that there is someone with active infection in Anglesea, but also could mean that it’s someone who has recovered from infection, that is in Anglesea.”
After yesterday being called upon to get tested, almost 3 per cent of the township have now been tested, Cheng said.
F or more on this story click here.
WHERE ACTIVE OUTBREAKS ARE LURKING
Outbreaks with active cases include:
8 cases linked to The Butcher Club outbreak (total cases: 8)
6 cases linked to the Casey community outbreak (total cases: 45)
4 cases linked to the Springvale shared accommodation outbreak (total cases: 5)
3 cases linked to Footscray Hospital (total cases: 20)
3 cases linked to Alfred Hospital (total cases: 11)
Active aged care outbreaks with active case numbers are:
Estia Aged Care Facility Keilor: 32 active (46 total)
Embracia Moonee Valley Aged Care Facility: 19 active (80 total)
Opal Hobsons Bay Aged Care Facility Altona North: 15 active (46 total)
Edenvale Manor Aged Care Facility Keilor East: 14 active (23 total)
Baptcare Wyndham Lodge Community Werribee: 10 active (260 total)
Doutta Galla Aged Services Woornack: 7 active (60 total)
Mercy Place Parkville Aged Care Facility: 7 active (104 total)
Churches of Christ Care Arcadia Aged Care Essendon: 4 active (22 total)
Twin Parks Aged Care Reservoir: 4 active (127 total)
Epping Gardens Aged Care Facility: 3 active (220 total)
WARNING AHEAD OF THUNDERSTORM ASTHMA SEASON
Thunderstorm asthma season is coming and health authorities are warning Victorians to be prepared ahead of the rain season.
Deputy Chief Health Officer Allen Cheng has warned storm activity this month could be deadly and said anyone who is vulnerable to the condition must visit a GP to be prepared.
He flagged the wetter season could be an issue but at this time the pollen count was “moderate”.
“(Thunderstorm asthma) is the result of high levels of grass rye pollen in the air and when that is mixed with storm conditions, particularly high winds, it can lead to thunderstorm asthma.”
People at risk include asthma sufferers, hay fever sufferers and anyone who has had an illness or asthma in the past.
In November 2017 more than 20 Victorians died after emergency services were overrun.
QUARANTINE HOTEL GUARDS AXED, POLICE STEP IN
Fears of a third wave have been raised after police officers were sent in to patrol a hotel quarantine site where private security guards were hurriedly stood down.
Workers from cleaning agency, Spotless, were terminated in the middle of their shifts on Wednesday amid fears over infection control.
Police have since replaced the private security workers.
But there are now growing concerns among police about the safety of officers and whether enough measures have been put in to prevent further virus spread.
Read the full story here.
DAN DEFIES RESIGNATION CALLS AS PRESSURE BUILDS
Premier Daniel Andrews has slapped down suggestions he should resign in the wake of the hotel quarantine inquiry during a tense exchange.
It comes after lawyers assisting Justice Coate told the board of inquiry they could “comfortably find” the program failed in its objectives and in doing so led to the deaths of 768 people.
WorkSafe has also been approached to consider whether government politicians and public servants could be held responsible for workplace manslaughter.
When asked on Wednesday if the CEO of a private company would be expected to resign if their businesses was linked to as many deaths, Mr Andrews pushed back.
He said he was not a “corporate commentator” and the inquiry was yet to release its report.
“If there was a process that hadn’t yet completed … Then that certainly wouldn’t be a matter for right now would it?” he said.
“You would wait, just as I am, to and see what Justice Coate finds.
“I do not run from problems. I do not quit to avoid the hard work that has to be done.
“I will be here every day that I’m given the honour of this role.”
Chief Health Officer Professor Brett Sutton also reaffirmed that Victoria’s coronavirus strategy was to suppress the virus in wake of public comments by former Health Minister Jenny Mikakos.
“I’m not commenting on an ex-MP commenting on Twitter,” he said.
“There’s nothing new in this space, the aggressive suppression strategy is a national cabinet strategy.
Prof Sutton said Ms Mikakos was “extraordinarily hard working” and her replacement Martin Foley was up to the role.
“Having met, spoken to and gone through the strategy with Minister Foley, we are on the same page,” he said.
BIZARRE REASONS BEHIND LATEST FINES
Two men who wanted a haircut and another waiting to buy a PS4 controller are the latest Victorians to be fined for breaking coronavirus restrictions.
A total of 80 fines were dished out yesterday to people in breach of the Chief Health Officer directions.
They included seven fines for failing to wear a face mask when leaving home and 14 issued at vehicle checkpoints.
Of those, two men were fined after they were found in Boroondara, more than 5kms from their home.
They told police they were going to a friend’s house for a haircut.
Another man was found outside an electronics store in Maribyrnong without a mask and outside his 5km radius.
He said he was waiting to buy a PS4 controller.
More than 1700 spot checks were carried out at homes, businesses and public places in the last 24 hours.
— Alanah Frost
PRIVATE SCHOOL DENIED EXEMPTION FOR REGIONAL CAMP
A prestigious private school has been denied special permission to take its Melbourne students to a camp in rural Victoria at the start of term four.
Students from metropolitan schools could not attend class or go on school camps, but Methodist Ladies’ College in Kew told parents to prepare their daughters to travel to Mallacoota from October 5.
The school expected to be given an exemption to take its year nine girls to its 114-hectare Marshmead campus in East Gippsland.
But the school’s wishes were thwarted as the Department of Health and Human Services has said no exemptions will be granted to allow metropolitan private schools to use their regional campuses.
The Marshmead term, which costs parents an additional $4750 on top of annual school fees of $31,000, is one of the highlights of the school’s extensive extra-curriculums program.
The campus is billed as enabling the students to “experience a low energy lifestyle and become increasingly carbon conscious”.
Cecilia Ip, MLC acting marketing and communications manager, said MLC will not be sending students to Marshmead “until we have clear permission from DHHS / DET to do so”.
The head of the middle school, Melissa Lange, wrote to parents saying she believed the school would be given permission to travel to Marshmead on Monday 5 of October, but this was not the case.
One parent told the Herald Sun her daughter was “devastated”.
“We’ve got a nine-page list of equipment we’d been madly buying but now we’ve put everything on hold,” she said.
Parents hope the students will be able to go within a few weeks once restrictions are further lifted.
This year bushfires and covid restrictions have disrupted the usual Marshmead program. Some unhappy parents even petitioned Principal Diana Vernon because their daughters went to Marshmead for a few weeks rather than a full term.
– Susie O’Brien
VICTORIAN LABOR PARTY LOSES 4500 MEMBERS AS SEAT WAR STARTS
The Victorian Labor Party has lost more than a quarter of its members overnight, after a ban on cash payments.
It comes as a brawl has broken out within the Premier’s own faction over who will replace former Health Minister Jenny Mikakos, who resigned over the hotel quarantine debacle, in the upper house.
Read the full story here.