Rolling coverage: Victorian case among only a ‘handful' of reinfections worldwide
A Melbourne cafe owner says a “lighthearted” sign charging Daniel Andrews supporters extra for coffees has seen him become a victim of abuse and threats. It comes as a student who tested positive for COVID-19 went to school, in Melbourne’s north, while he was meant to be self-isolating, resulting in the school’s closure.
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A child who tested positive for coronavirus went to school while he was meant to be self-isolating, resulting in the closure of a school in Melbourne’s north.
East Preston Islamic College was shut on Wednesday after the grade 5 boy received his positive result.
The school has students from kindergarten to year 12.
The infected student attended classes on Monday and Tuesday.
The school’s principal Ekrem Ozyurek told The Australian the student had been required to isolate for two weeks because he was a close contact of a family member who had tested positive.
“Our understanding is that this student was considered to be a close contact and was meant to be quarantining, but after day 11 he returned to school thinking that it was okay to do so,” Mr Ozyurek said.
“He stayed at home for the first week but I think his siblings had tested negative and he thought he was OK to come back too. But he hadn’t taken the test.
“I think there must have been some misunderstanding perhaps, some broken communication.”
The school’s website was updated with a statement from Mr Ozyurek on Wednesday night that said: “Our school site will remain closed until we are advised by the Department of Health and Human Services and the Department of Education and Training that it is safe to re-open.”
“I remind you that all staff and students are asked to limit their movements while contact tracing occurs. This means limiting movements to home-based activities and not attending public places. The duration of this will depend on the complexity of the investigation and number of close contacts identified.”
Health authorities issued text message alerts on Wednesday afternoon to people in Preston and West Heidelberg.
The text read: “Chief Health Officer: COVID-19 exposure has been located at Preston and West Heidelberg. If you have symptoms get tested”.
The Department of Health and Human Services has been contacted for comment.
CAFE FORCED TO HIRE SECURITY AFTER DIG AT ANDREWS
A Melbourne cafe owner says a ‘lighthearted’ sign charging Daniel Andrews supporters extra for coffees has triggered a flood of abuse and threats, prompting him to hire security guards.
The sign at Arcobar in Moorabbin, in the city’s southeast, asks people to add $1 to their coffee order if they support the Premier.
It has been on the counter for three weeks but the backlash only started on Wednesday after a photo of the sign was shared on social media.
Arcobar co-owner Franz Madlener told the Herald Sun his staff had been inundated with abuse, including one person who called up threatening to hurl a brick through his window.
As a result, he has hired a security company to do 24/7 patrols.
He said the sign was an attempt at “lighthearted banter” to counter the comments he regularly hears from customers about how he should feel happy about the reopening targets.
“It’s a silent protest to the people who come in and lecture us that we should be grateful for what the government’s done and grateful that they’re going to let us open again soon,” he said.
“We’re not trying to make a political stance we’re just saying ‘hey we’re a small business we are doing it tough’. Don’t tell us we should be grateful.”
Mr Madlener said he wasn’t anti-Labor and wasn’t affiliated with any political party.
He said the business had more than 100 calls on Wednesday from people swearing and yelling at his staff.
“There was a lot of personal abuse, it was pretty vile. And then the trolling online is just unbelievable, I can’t even look at it. It’s just been the most emotional day for all the staff. One of the girls had to go home early she was so upset.”
Their rating on google went from 4.7 down to below 2 by Wednesday afternoon, Mr Madlener said.
He said the level of abuse was “off the charts”.
“I’ve been in business all my life I’ve never seen such division, such anger in the community,” he said.
Mr Madlener said since the start of the pandemic the business has lost hundreds of thousands of dollars but was persevering with takeaway orders and was “just hanging on”.
He said he would keep the sign up because he didn’t want to be seen to be giving in to the “aggressive minority”.
VIC RECORDS 3 NEWS CASES
Victoria has recorded three new cases and no deaths from coronavirus in the past 24 hours.
The latest figures brings Melbourne’s 14-day rolling average down to 6.2 while regional Victoria’s remains at 0.4.
Two of the new cases are linked to a community outbreak in the northern metropolitan area.
The third case is under investigation, and is believed to be a close contact of a known case.
All three cases are considered “contained”, the Premier said.
Two of the cases are located in the Hume area, while the third is in the Hobson’s Bay area.
There are 109 active cases across the state, including 106 in metropolitan Melbourne and three in Shepparton.
17,409 tests were performed on Tuesday, bringing the total number of tests to 2,984,494.
There are eight cases in aged care settings, and a total of 10 mystery cases across the state in the past 14-days.
SINGLE CASE FROM TUESDAY A REINFECTION
Daniel Andrews said the positive case recorded on Tuesday was being treated as a reinfection of a person who had previously tested positive.
“The person from yesterday who tested positive twice, the first time back in July, he is currently regarded as a reinfection of coronavirus, so he will be recorded as a positive case,” Mr Andrews said.
“There have been very few reported cases of reinfection around the world. It is also case that persistent shedding over a long period of time can be a feature of this virus.”
Mr Andrews said a panel of experts could not determine if the infection was or new.
“All the experts have sat around and looked at all the testing and the signs that sits behind that – the biology that sits behind that and they cannot determine whether it is shedding or fresh.
“So through an abundance of caution, the assumption is that they have it for a second time.
“If that is the case, it’s better to be cautious.
“If that is the case then that will be one of only a handful of those sorts of reinfection cases we have seen anywhere in the world.”
STOWAWAY VICTORIAN ARRESTED IN SA
A Victorian man has been arrested in South Australia after allegedly stowing away on a freight train to cross the border.
A rail supervisor found the man after the train arrived in Adelaide about 6.15am on Wednesday and alerted police.
The man, 41, was quickly arrested by patrols and charged with breaching COVID-19 directions.
He allegedly boarded the train last night in Dimboola, Victoria.
SA Police say the man submitted a Cross Border Travel Registration form but did not wait to find out if his entry was approved.
He was refused bail and is expected to appear in court later on Wednesday.
– Emily Cosenza
HOPE REGIONAL BORDERS COULD END BEFORE CHRISTMAS
It comes as the “ring of steel” separating Melbourne and the regions could be lifted in November, allowing families to gather for a COVID-normal Christmas.
Daniel Andrews said there was no “hard number” for authorities to lift the border between the city and country, but said numbers would need to remain low.
It comes as NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian flagged a potential easing of her state’s border, potentially allowing Victorians to pass through.
However, this remains contingent on Victoria improving its contact tracing and demonstrating they could jump on top of controlled outbreaks.
Mr Andrews welcomed the news saying “it’s a very good thing”.
PLAN TO FAST-TRACK OUTDOOR DINING SET-UP
Hospitality venues will be free to set up outdoor dining without planning permission in a bid to streamline processes across the state.
Planning minister Richard Wynne said on Wednesday the permit exemptions would last for 12 months, and apply to all existing restaurants, cafes and other food and drink venues.
“This is important because we know there is a huge appetite for hospitality, not just in the CBD but across metropolitan Melbourne and regional Victoria,” Mr Wynne said.
“These exemptions pave the way for a summer like no other.”
Restaurants are set to be given the green light to trade again, with strict conditions, from November 1 but Daniel Andrews has flagged moving that date forward.
The new provisions will also allow operators to construct temporary buildings and car parks.
HOW RACEGOERS MIGHT GET INTO THE CUP
Victorian Racing Club chairman Amanda Elliott said she hoped restrictions in Melbourne will “look a bit different” come Melbourne Cup week.
She said she still had hope punters could watch the race that stops a nation at Flemington on November 3.
“The racing industry has demonstrated since March that it can follow strict biosecurity rules and keep going,” Ms Elliott told the 3AW Breakfast radio show on Wednesday morning.
She said if crowds were going to attend the Melbourne Cup, they would be limited to lawn and outside seating.
Ms Elliott said the VRC had originally modelled for 8000 people to watch the race but after last night they “don’t believe” that many will be allowed.
“There is so much to putting on a major event like Cup Week, I don’t think people appreciate how complex it is,” she said.
“We are still hopeful to have some people, clearly the racing is going ahead and the race that stops a nation will have some people watching it.”
When asked about Racing Minister Martin Pakula’s late night backflip on the Cox Plate, Ms Elliott responded: “I’m not sure (what happened) because we heard one thing, then we heard another.
“Clearly there was quite a lot of social media activity.
“In a way I had some sympathy for people who feel if we can’t go to mum or dad’s funeral, why should people be allowed to go to the races.
“The restrictions are beginning to look a little inconsistent and people feel angst about that.”
GYM CLOSURES ‘BASED ON IGNORANCE’
A top chief executive in Victoria’s fitness industry is demanding the government reopen the struggling sector, claiming current restrictions preventing gyms opening their doors are “based on ignorance”.
In an open letter to the state Premier Daniel Andrews, Fitness Australia chief executive Barrie Elvish called for an end to “archaic” restrictions and implored that gyms were able to enforce COVID-safe strategies.
“This consistent ‘anti-gym’ messaging leads me to conclude it can only be based on ignorance or a deliberate strategy to use the sector as some form of litmus test for ‘proving’ an ongoing extension of draconian lockdown restrictions are justified,” Mr Elvish wrote.
Gyms were not among the list of industries, announced on Sunday, where restrictions would be eased.
When questioned about when they could reopen, Mr Andrews maintained they were “high-risk environments”.
COX PLATE PUNTER PLAN A FALSE START
Mr Andrews defended the decision to backtrack on a plan to allow horse owners to attend the Cox Plate.
“[The original decision] went through the normal process but it was the wrong decision,” he said.
“I will cop that. The right thing to do is to change it. That is what we have done.
“I apologise for any concern it caused and again I’m not here to defend the decision.
“We have basically change that, it is not happening on Saturday.
“There will be some owners at a later point and hopefully at that later point we have made other changes, I suppose I can only be clear and that was the wrong judgement to take.”
Racing Minister Martin Pakula said the government’s eight-person crisis cabinet was aware of plans to allow 500 owners and connections to attend the Cox Plate.
But the apologetic Minister said he acted alone to reverse the decision following an angry community backlash against the decision last night.
Mr Pakula told 3AW on Wednesday morning he phoned the premier’s office late last night after talks with Moonee Valley racing officials to advise he would be scrapping the deal for race day attendance.
Describing the decision to green-light attendance as a “mistake” the Minister said it was a collective decision to allow the limited crowd at the historic 100th running of the race.
Read the full story here.
JURIES TO RETURN TO COURT CASES
Jury trials are set to return to Victorian courts next month under strict conditions for the first time since the pandemic hit.
The Supreme Court plans to conduct up to three jury trials at once, while the County Court hopes to conduct up to 10 from November 16.
Prospective jurors will be plucked only from the Melbourne metropolitan area and can expect to receive summons letters in the mail in the coming week.
It is welcoming news for members of the legal fraternity with the state’s justice system facing unprecedented delays with a backlog in major criminal cases amid restricted operations due to coronavirus.
Usually up to 200 people are expected to attend the court to form the jury pool for trials across both courts.
But smaller panels of between 30 and 45 people will be used and will be formed remotely.
In the courtroom, they will wear a mask and be seated 1.5m apart, with signs and markings to indicate which seats may be used.
County Court Chief Judge Peter Kidd said: “We look forward to the safe resumption of a number of criminal jury trials.
“Jury trials will look a little different, but they will continue to fulfil their essential role in our criminal justice system.”
– Rebekah Cavanagh
HOPE FOR EARLY ‘DARK OPENING’ NEXT WEEK
Melbourne’s restaurants, cafes and retail stores could throw open their doors from mid-next week after Premier Daniel Andrews hinted at a “dark opening” to be announced this weekend.
Victoria on Tuesday recorded just one new case — which could be dropped from the tally — and no deaths as the state’s 14-day rolling average dropped to 6.8.
The new case relates to a Brimbank resident, who authorities believe could be “shedding” the virus after testing positive in July.
Victoria’s daily figure on Tuesday dipped below NSW, which recorded two new locally acquired cases and three cases from overseas travellers.
Despite the low numbers, Mr Andrews said he would not announce any further easing of restrictions before Sunday.
“I’ll stand here on Sunday and hopefully be able to confirm for Victorians that when it comes to retail, pubs, restaurants, cafes, bars, as well as a number of other settings, we can have what’s been termed a dark opening for, say, the first one or two days of next week and then we can be up and running from then,” he said.
The dark opening could take effect before October 28.
“We still have a few days, obviously, to run this week and things can change rapidly. But Victorians … and particularly Melburnians, can be confident, can be absolutely optimistic, that the strategy is working,” the Premier said.
Prominent Melbourne restaurateur Chris Lucas, who at the weekend slammed hospitality’s delayed reopening, said it was a commonsense move.
Under the original road map, hospitality and retail were to reopen on Monday.
Mr Lucas also welcomed the announcement that the government was reviewing its patron limits of 20 people indoors and 50 outdoors.
“We’re happy to see the government is finally listening,” he said.
John Paul Marmora, owner of Essendon eatery Assembly Ground, said “it’s quite exciting”.
“We are obviously very eager to have people sitting down again. It’s been a long time coming and a lot of locals are probably just as excited as us,” he said.
However, not all business owners were happy, with those in retail and beauty services calling for greater clarity and a firm plan.
Carlie Lansdown, of Soak Bar + Beauty South Yarra, said the constantly changing plan was “just really frustrating”.
“We have already moved our clients that many times,” she said, adding bringing the date forward left little time for preparation, including training staff and taking bookings.
Victorian workers are also likely to have to continue working from home for the remainder of the year, with Mr Andrews saying the policy would stay long-term.
Opposition Leader Michael O’Brien hit out at the Premier, saying drawing out the announcements was not good for business.
“I just think it seems unnecessarily arrogant, I mean the numbers are really good,” he said. “It would be a fair thing to do to give Victorians … a little bit of leeway.”
It comes as new polling released this week revealed Mr Andrews’ approval rating was far lower than his counterparts in WA, NSW and QLD amid the ongoing lockdowns.
The Essential Report poll found while 54 per cent of those surveyed approved of the job he was doing as Premier, his disapproval rating was now 40 per cent.
WA Premier Mark McGowan had the highest approval rating — 84 per cent — followed by NSW’s Gladys Berejiklian (67 per cent) and Queensland’s Annastacia Palaszczuk (62 per cent).
The Herald Sun on Tuesday revealed the length of the harsh stage four lockdown could have been cut in half if restrictions had been imposed 10 days earlier, according to Monash University research.
But Mr Andrews said: “this is not an academic exercise, you don’t get a do-over … these are really difficult decisions.”
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