Rolling coverage: 10 new cases, link to NSW cluster identified
A person who attended a coronavirus exposure site has tested positive for the virus, their employer - Yarra Trams - has confirmed.
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A Yarra Trams worker has tested positive for COVID-19.
The employee, who worked at the Malvern depot, contracted the virus after attending a public exposure site, Yarra Trams confirmed.
A spokeswoman for the company said the employee “has no interaction with passengers or the public”.
“The employee is self-isolating and work areas they frequented have been deep cleaned. All our employees who are possible close contacts have been identified, and are self-isolating and getting tested,” the spokeswoman said.
It is understood that as soon as the infected worker found out they had attended a public exposure site, they were tested and returned a positive result on January 1.
NSW LINK IDENTIFIED
Victoria has recorded 10 new locally acquired coronavirus cases, while a genomic link has been established between the Victorian outbreak and an outbreak in New South Wales.
All of the 10 new cases are linked to the Black Rock cluster, including in one staff member at Smile Buffalo Thai restaurant and several others who dined at the restaurant on December 21.
Two of the cases were reported in NSW, but are Victorian residents. These two cases were announced yesterday. These two cases have returned back in Melbourne.
Health Minister Martin Foley will provide a virus update from 9.45am.
18,337 tests were recorded in the past 24 hours.
Two cases were also recorded in returned overseas travellers.
There are currently 29 active cases in Victoria.
Eighteen cases have now been linked to a Black Rock Thai restaurant in just 48 hours since Victoria’s 60-day coronavirus-free run ended.
More virus exposure sites are expected to be announced later today, including sites in Camberwell.
More than 220 primary close contacts of the cases have been ordered into 14-day isolation, while health investigators are also placing their secondary contacts into isolation for potentially shorter periods until more about their level of risk emerges.
It comes as New South Wales records seven new cases.
BALLARAT MP TO BE TESTED FOR COVID
Ballarat federal member Catherine King will undergo a Covid-19 test after confirming she had visited a coronavirus public exposure site while on holiday.
The Labor member said in a Tweet on Saturday evening that she had “just found out” that she had been to the Chants Summer Carnival in Lakes Entrance in eastern Victoria - which DHHS has added to the list of places visited by a confirmed case of COVID-19.
“Not the best way to end our holiday,” Ms King wrote in a Tweet.
“Just found out we were at an exposure site and will test and isolate but so grateful to DHHS for up to date info and clear instructions- oh and the mandatory mask wearing. It makes a difference!”
MANDATORY HOTEL QUARANTINE FOR 70 NSW TRAVELLERS
Returned NSW travellers who could not provide sufficient documentation have been made to enter hotel quarantine.
DHHS testing commander Jeroen Weimer said 70 people had entered hotel quarantine after arriving in Victoria on flights from NSW.
TESTING SITE QUEUES BLOW OUT AGAIN
The Alfred Hospital and North Melbourne coronavirus testing sites have closed due to overwhelming demand for the second day in a row.
By 3pm, people were being turned away by security staff at The Alfred, despite the clinic listing its opening hours as 8am until 6pm.
The security guard told people arriving to come back on Sunday morning.
Queues were building at COVID testing sites across Victoria early on Saturday morning after several were forced to close early due to overwhelming demand on Friday.
Testing commander Jeroen Weimar urged everyone who had been to exposure sites or had symptoms to get tested, but they should be prepared for lengthy delays.
“Make sure you are prepared with water and diversionary material to wait out the queues that will be there,” he said.
He urged everyone to keep trying to get tested, and to isolate in the meantime.
NSW TRAVELLERS ALLEGEDLY FLEE QUARANTINE
Two NSW travellers who allegedly fled from police to dodge hotel quarantine after flying into Melbourne from Canberra will be fined at least $19,000 each breaching coronavirus restrictions.
Health Minister Martin Foley confirmed the 26-year-old man and 24-year-old woman had returned to the Goulburn region in NSW after the incident.
Two more people who attended the Smile Buffalo Thai restaurant on December 21, before travelling to NSW on December 30, were confirmed as coronavirus-positive on Friday.
The two were already in line for a COVID-19 test in NSW on Thursday when contacted by Victoria’s health department in relation to their attendance at the restaurant. However, Victorian authorities were not aware of their positive results until late on Friday as their positive tests were recorded in NSW.
The pair have now returned to Victoria to isolate, but had visited Lakes Entrance on December 28 and 29.
Mr Weimar said it has been a “phenomenal piece of detective work” for contact tracers to have identified and isolated all the latest cases before they had tested positive, minimising the chances of further spread.
However, with the virus having been present for up to a fortnight and its exact source still a mystery, an increase in testing was the only way to determine if it had already spread to other parts of Victoria.
“If you’re sitting around any other part of Victoria thinking you’re not feeling 100 per cent, you may be part of that other new chain of transmission that we don’t have identified,’ he said. “The only way we stop these clusters is if
PM: NO BORDER CONFLICT
Scott Morrison wants “greater consistency” when it comes to border closures, but has stopped short of criticising state premiers who have slammed their borders shut in recent days.
The Prime Minister warned that states must balance “the risk of COVID and its transmission against the disruption to people”, stressing that leaders have to explain and be accountable to the public for their decisions.
New border restrictions were announced on Thursday; among them South Australia and Victoria shutting out all of NSW and Western Australia closing its border to Victorians.
In WA about 16,000 Victorians, who had arrived in the state since Monday, were suddenly forced into self isolation.
Mr Morrison also said he eagerly awaited the findings of the inquiry into the origins of COVID-19.
“We’re patient and we continue to monitor the progress of that inquiry closely and support its swift conclusion,” he said.
NSW announced three new community transmission coronavirus cases on Friday, all from Western Sydney, and investigations were continuing into the source of the infections. There are 144 cases linked to the Avalon cluster.
Sydney’s northern beaches remain in lockdown, with stay- at-home rules in force.
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