Rolling coverage: Melburnians flood beaches, shock claim about Chadstone butcher
CHO Brett Sutton has urged hundreds of people partying at St Kilda beach on Friday night not to “risk everything” as soaring temperatures saw groups gather across the city, with some flouting mask rules.
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Victoria has recorded seven new cases of coronavirus, along with two deaths.
There are 261 active cases in the state, with 40 of those in healthcare workers, 111 in aged care and three in regional Victoria.
Six of today’s new cases are under investigation.
Today’s fatalities include a woman and a man in their 80s and are both linked to aged care.
The consistently low infection numbers mean Melbourne‘s crucial 14-day average remains firmly below 20, standing at 12.8.
That figure must be five for the Government to consider reopening the city.
Regional Victoria’s rolling average is 0.2.
If cases remain low, Melbourne is expected to take the third step on the state’s COVID-19 recovery road map on October 19, a week earlier than originally scheduled.
There are 14 cases of an unknown source in metropolitan Melbourne and none across regional Victoria.
The state’s death toll is now 802.
There are 38 Victorians fighting the virus in hospital, including four in intensive care and all of them are on ventilators.
A total of 2,722,218 test results have been received since the beginning of the year, which is an increase of 12,550 test results since yesterday.
Premier Daniel Andrews urged Victorians who have symptoms to get tested over the weekend.
“Please don’t wait until Monday to get tested,” he said.
It comes as Melburnians flocked to city beaches on Friday as temperatures soared.
Is sun-baking an activity that requires a mask? If so, there’s a lot of potential fines to dish out at a very busy Williamstown beach this afternoon. pic.twitter.com/46FCcGI790
— Matt Cram (@crammj) October 2, 2020
SUTTON’S FRESH WARNING TO PARTYING BEACHGOERS
Victoria’s Chief Health Officer has urged hundreds of people partying at St Kilda beach on Friday night not to “risk everything”.
Professor Brett Sutton responded to a video online which showed a large group of people at the foreshore, none of them social distancing and many not wearing masks.
“Don’t risk everything. What we can hold back now means a truly normal summer. Please - Hold. The. Line.” Prof Sutton tweeted.
In the footage, a crowd of people swarmed around Channel 7 reporter Paul Dowsley who was doing a live cross while wearing a mask.
One reveller who was not wearing a mask, kissed Mr Dowsley on the head.
Federal member for Macnamara Josh Burns used Twitter to send a message to people gathering at St Kilda beach in his electorate.
“For every business that’s doing it tough in St Kilda, for every family who hasn’t seen a loved one in months - go home. Ignoring health advice doesn’t make you tough, it makes you selfish,” he wrote on social media.
At 8pm on Friday, hundreds of people were still partying at the foreshore in the warm weather.
With strict restrictions still in force in Melbourne, police patrolled the area with torches, warning people to keep their masks on.
Officers told groups larger than five to split up or warned they faced fines of $5000.
Two young women were quizzed by police and when they admitted they did not live within 5km they were told if they leave right away they would not be fined. They then walked off.
Under the current restrictions, people are allowed outside for a maximum of two hours in groups of no more than five people from two households.
On Monday, Melbourne’s curfew was lifted, so it is no longer illegal to be outside after 9pm.
The crowd of mostly young people were gathered inside the spray-painted circles on the grass.
There was a festival-like atmosphere with people dancing and listening to music.
Others were playing soccer or having picnic dinners.
Bins were overflowing and boxes full of beer and ready to drink bottles were left piled beside them.
- Josh Fagan
CHADSTONE BUTCHER STILL TRADING
Brett Sutton has faced fresh claims that a butcher shop where workers became infected with COVID-19 was allegedly still trading despite being linked to an outbreak at the time.
A journalist questioned the chief health officer on why the Butcher Club was open and trading on Wednesday, after the DHHS provided an update where two of that day’s 13 cases were linked to the Butcher Club at Chadstone.
“I was at Chadstone on Wednesday. That butcher was still trading, Should it have been?” the reporter asked.
To which Prof Sutton said: “As soon as cases are identified, linked to settings, they are shut down, cleaned and the close contacts are told to quarantine.”
The journalist pressed: “But I was there Wednesday. We knew Wednesday that the Butcher Club was linked to a concern there at Chadstone and cases at Chadstone. I saw it. It was still open, trading.”
Prof Sutton replied: “Yeah. I don’t know what the specific details (are) that were known at that time, but when an individual identifies they have worked at a work setting, and there are contacts in that work setting, that’s when it is shut down.”
- Anthony Piovesan
TESTS OFFERED EVEN IF AYSMPTOMATIC
The outbreak linked to a butcher at Chadstone Shopping Centre has grown to 11 positive cases.
All staff linked to the business are in quarantine, Prof Sutton said.
“There are other individuals who may be linked to that work site as well, so we have stood up both testing for asymptomatic staff at Chadstone more broadly, knowing they are there for prolonged periods of time over multiple days and, therefore, we’re happy to test those individuals without symptoms in the same way we would in an abattoir,” he said.
“But also testing for symptomatic individuals who are visitors to Chadstone.”
One member of the Frankston cluster has been linked to the Chadstone outbreak.
All nine members of the Frankston family cluster are in supported accommodation.
NEW HIGH-RISK LOCATIONS FOR VIRUS
On Friday, the DHHS added new high-risk locations to their list:
Woolworths Abbotsford, 313 Victoria St, Saturday September 26 from 12-12.15pm;
and Monday September 28 from 1-1.15pm;
Round pushpin Coles Victoria Gardens, Corner Victoria and Burnley streets on Tuesday September 29 from 1-2pm
Full list of high-risk locations
STAFF IN HOTEL OUTBREAK ‘DID NOTHING WRONG’
The nine Brady Hotel and Grand Chancellor staff who tested positive to coronavirus at the end of July did nothing wrong, Prof Sutton says.
Genomic sequencing of six of the nine cases showed links back to the Rydges outbreak, which led to majority of Victoria’s second wave.
“As soon as symptoms were detected, those individuals did not work,” Prof Sutton said.
“So really, the cases that occurred in these settings were absolutely a reflection of the very substantial community transmission in Melbourne at that time and, in fact, cleaning services are a vulnerable cohort for infection.”
HOTEL QUARANTINE PROGRAM OVERHAULED
Victoria’s hotel quarantine program has been overhauled.
Victorian Attorney-General Jill Hennessy made the announcement on Friday, saying there had been an overhaul of the model of all aspects of the COVID-19 accommodation program.
“They now all have been formalised under one operation and that operation now includes emergency accommodation for community members,” she said.
“As part of this reset, we have undertaken some really expensive and some very important reviews.
“Everything from cleaning and waste disposal, from transport to baggage handling, from training to infection control, welfare and medical support, food,
ecreation, mental health support provision.”
The changes have been implemented and would be monitored going forward.
“We want Victorians to feel very, very assured with the accommodation program is a very, very focused one. It is under the highest degrees of management and scrutiny and we are focused on one thing- ultimately making sure that we reduce transmission to return Victoria to a position where we are absolutely managing this virus,” Ms Hennessy said.
NEW INFECTION CONTROLS AT MELBOUNRE AIRPORT
Infections controls will be boosted at Melbourne airport ahead of overseas travellers returning to Victoria.
Screening will begin as soon as people start disembarking from the plane.
Anyone who is asymptomatic or has high temperatures will be taken straight to the health hotels, Corrections Victoria Commissioner Emma Cassar said.
“It is really important that we keep the strengthened infection-control procedures as early as possible,” she said.
“Then we will do a lot of active engagement with returned travellers before they leave.
“We know this has been a real challenge in Victoria and other jurisdictions which is the quicker we get information about returned travellers, their needs, their requirements, especially for larger families, we can accommodate them better.”
CALLS TO UNMASK REGIONAL VICTORIA
It comes as a growing number of regional Victorian MPs and businesses are calling for a review of “ridiculous” mask rules.
With just three active cases in the regions — and no new infections reported since Saturday — regional leaders are demanding a review of the blanket rule mandating all Victorians must wear a mask outside the home.
Three local government areas — Buloke, Hindmarsh and Towong — have never had a coronavirus case.
Nicholls MP Damian Drum said people were wearing masks “very begrudgingly” and needed independent expert advice to back up the rule.
“You have to genuinely defer to science on this,” the Nationals MP said.
“What we have to acknowledge is that if the health experts are telling us that this is necessary then the people will respect it.
“But we need to hear it from the health experts – but not Brett Sutton — the real, independent, analytical experts.”
Mallee MP Anne Webster said mandating mask use in areas where people were so isolated was “ridiculous”.
This view was also backed by members of the state Coalition, including Bill Tilley, Wendy Lovell, Louise Staley and Nationals leader Peter Walsh.
“Given there’s now no community transmission in regional Victoria, it makes sense to apply common sense to rules on masks,” Mr Walsh said
“While they’re still necessary in crowded high-traffic places, like the local supermarket or shopping strip, it’s the bizarre decision to enforce it on low risk activities where it’s easy to social distance, like a solo walk or playing golf, that’s got me beat.”
Prof Sutton said masks make all the difference between a super spreading event and potentially infecting no-one at all.
“When you’re not wearing a mask, the ability to spread the virus to anyone around you is much, much greater. We will review it over time,” he said.
Prof Sutton said regional Victoria was very close to reaching zero cases.
Victoria is the only Australian state to mandate the use of masks, and last week bumped up its advice to require people to wear a fitted mask instead of face coverings like a bandana or scarf.
Publican Nicholas Harvey who owns the Cricket Club Hotel in Charlton in the COVID-free Buloke shire, urged the government to review the rules.
“It should be reviewed,” he said.
“There have been no cases in the Buloke Shire and we have a contact tracing system in place and 95 per cent of the people who come to my pub are locals. So I don’t think it’s necessary.” However, other community leaders said masks remained necessary if travel restrictions were lifted and Melburnians were coming to the area.
Hindmarsh mayor Rob Gersch said masks were “annoying” but he supported keeping them if it meant tourism could open up sooner.
Mildura independent MP Ali Cupper warned soaring temperatures in the coming days were a concern.
“We are the only part of the state where we regularly have temperatures in the mid-40s ... and the prospect of wearing masks while outside in that sort of heat, I would contend, is more than just ‘challenging’,” she said.
“I am calling on the Victorian Government to make concessions for our region given these unique circumstances, by requiring people to wear masks only when inside.”
Premier Daniel Andrews on Thursday said he would not commit to an official policy review saying “masks are under review all the time, everything’s under review all the time.”
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