Hope for freedom grows, asymptomatic testing rolled out for northern suburbs cluster
Asymptomatic testing is being offered to curb a coronavirus outbreak in Melbourne’s north. It comes as Daniel Andrews hinted at “significant announcements” to be made on Sunday as the city moved closer to an important number.
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Victoria has recorded one new coronavirus case and no deaths overnight, while the premier has given his strongest indication yet that further restrictions will be eased on Sunday.
Premier Daniel Andrews said he will make announcements on the weekend about how the 25km travel limit in metropolitan Melbourne may change.
“On Sunday I will have more to say about all those arrangements, 25km, the regional-metro border, all of those issues that are being looked at very very closely,” he said.
The Premier said he was also confident there would be flights into Melbourne again from interstate and overseas by Christmas.
“That’s certainly our aim.
“We need to put arrangements in place that everyone can have confidence in.”
Melbourne’s 14-day rolling average dropped to just 5.5, close to the magic number of 5 that was set for the next phase of restrictions to be eased.
NEW CASE LINKED TO EAST PRESTON SCHOOL
The new case is in the Darebin area, and the rolling 14-day average has decreased to 5.5 in metropolitan Melbourne.
The new case is a parent of a student at East Preston Islamic College, but no contact has been established between the case and the existing outbreak in the northern suburbs.
The school was closed on Thursday after a student attended the school when they was supposed to be quarantining after a confirmed case in a household member.
Asymptomatic testing will continue to be offered in the area as investigation continue into the cluster.
“Asymptomatic testing will now be offered to all members of the East Preston Islamic College community to ensure any possible links and cases are identified,” Premier Daniel Andrews said.
All 86 tests performed on residents of a public housing block in Broadmeadows, to which a case was linked on Thursday, were negative.
“We believe there are another 30 or so people that normally reside at the building and we will be testing them over coming days,” Contact tracing chief Jeroen Weimar said.
Mr Weimar said 800 people had been asked to isolate as a result of cases in the northern suburbs.
He said people seemed to be cooperating with requests to isolate and there was a big effort to provide food and supplies.
Mr Weimar said arrangements between the Department of Health and the Department of Education were now in place to try to pick up any students who inadvertently went to school when they should be isolating.
This issue is what sparked a recent scare at the East Preston Islamic School.
He defended the fact a system wasn’t in place earlier to capture such cases, saying most people were following directives to isolate and there was a miscommunication on this occasion.
EASING RESTRICTIONS TO GO AHEAD
Melbourne restrictions are set to be eased as planned this weekend despite a coronavirus outbreak in the city’s north, but it remains unclear what will be lifted..
The 14-day rolling average is the closest it has been to the required number 5 for the next round of restriction easing since the second wave began.
The premier said changes to restrictions would be announced as planned on Sunday.
“We are very well placed to make some significant announcements on Sunday and they will be a testament to the absolute determination of the Victorian community to see this thing off, to do it properly and to make sure we got the numbers to such a low level that we have every reason to expect we can keep them low,” Daniel Andrews said.
Yesterday there was 1 new case & no loss of life reported. The 14 day rolling average is down in Melb & regional Vic, and cases with unknown source stable. There is more info here and also later today https://t.co/pcll7ySEgz #COVID19VicData pic.twitter.com/VlVc1EZlpm
— VicGovDHHS (@VicGovDHHS) October 22, 2020
Authorities are monitoring mystery case numbers, which continue to drop, as they consider which restrictions to ease.
DROMANA GRAND FINAL DRIVE-IN EVENT CANCELLED
The state government has moved to stop the AFL Grand Final being screened to a crowd of hundreds at a popular drive-in cinema.
The Dromana Drive-In had hoped to run a COVID-Safe event on Saturday night after being given the green light by the AFL and Channel 7 to telecast the match.
AFL boss Gillon McLachlan had personally publicly backed the idea.
Operators of the cinema were confident they would receive state government approval to have the venue declared a “permitted work premises” for the screening of the match.
But they said today they had been contacted by a representative from the Department of Jobs, Precincts and Regions on Thursday night and told the event could not go ahead.
It comes after the government backflipped over a decision to allow 500 racehorse owners and connections to attend Cox Plate race events this weekend.
A statement by operators of the Dromana Drive-In said they were shattered by the decision.
“Quite rightly, there was a huge public outcry for allowing an elite group of racehorse owners to attend,” it said.
“As a result, the Crisis Cabinet decided the Drive-In would not be re-classified as a ‘Permitted Work Premises’ for the screening of the AFL Grand Final.
“What a joke, for the sake of saving face! “The Drive-In is the MOST Covid Safe business around.
“What’s more, it would have been a fantastic therapeutic outing for so many local people to attend, their game, on Victorian soil!”
Operators had capped the number of cars allowed into the venue, and insisted only people from the same household attend in the same vehicle.
A register was to be set up to record names of all people in attendance.
As part of a suite of COVID-Safe measures patrons were also ordered to stay in their cars at all times.
The venue’s diner was to remain closed, and a limit on people using the toilets was to be enforced.
The government has been contacted for comment.
VIRUS TRACES DETECTED IN ARARAT
Mr Weimar said there were now 42 sewage surveillance systems around the state and one had picked up some traces of the virus in Ararat.
“We are very keen to identify if this is an old case or a new case that is developing.”
He said that an East Grampians health service was set up to text people in that area.
“It’s a warning sign,” he said.
“We are not free from this virus”
DAN SPEAKS WITH CATHOLIC ARCHBISHOP
Daniel Andrews will meet with Melbourne’s Catholic Archbishop today to discuss ongoing restrictions around church services.
Archbishop Peter Comensoli has expressed disappointment at current restriction levels claiming they unfairly discriminate against people of faith.
Under current restrictions religious gatherings are capped at five people in Melbourne and 20 in regional Victoria and must be outside.
In contrast regional pubs are allowed 70 outside and 40 inside.
A spokeswoman for the Archbishop said a meeting had been scheduled with the Premier for later today.
“Archbishop Comensoli welcomes this important conversation ahead of Sunday’s announcements, and for the ongoing parity for people of faith in the roadmap for reopening.”
The Archbishop will also meet with Deputy Premier James Merlino and the Multifaith Advisory Group.
A string of church leaders have written to Mr Andrews this week begging him to relax the strict restrictions on church gatherings.
Many have detailed COVID-Safe plans they say make attending church services as safe, if not safer, than visiting a pub or restaurant.
Mr Andrews has flagged significant announcements to be made on Sunday would include some easing of restrictions around church services.
“We are looking at this very carefully and I hope on Sunday to be able to give to people of faith what they have been craving and missed all this year. But it has to be safe,” Mr Andrews said on Wednesday.
“It’s not a matter of, ‘I have made the decision’. It is public health and international experts that establish they are different gatherings and that a heavy regulated environment, licensed environment is different to one that is not. That is pretty plain,” he said.
Archbishop Comensoli said places of worship had demonstrated support for restrictions and the capacity to comply with them.
BUSINESSES CAMPAIGN FOR EARLIER OPENING
Opposition spokeswoman Georgie Crozier said making Victorians wait until the weekend announcement meant “uncertainty” for businesses.
“We want to be let out on Sunday,” Ms Crozier said.
“Daniel Andrews keeps promising but there is still some uncertainty for businesses about the decision he will make on Sunday.”
Federal Health Minister Greg Hunt supported the move to open up as early as possible.
“We think that the Victorian situation is such that it’s well below the Commonwealth Chief Medical Officer’s 10-case standard,” he said.
“The Preston case, I think, is an example, there will be outbreaks, it could be in any state or territory. But if we have strong systems, we can take care of it.”
Big business also backed the move, with Richard Vincent, the chief executive of API which operates Priceline, saying it had been frustrating to see some sectors allowed to reopen as others remained shuttered.
“I can’t predict the way the Premier will act, but what I must say is that we must come out of lockdown immediately, for the wellness of Victorians and for retail,” Vincent said.
“It’s very frustrating when people can go and get a haircut – or spend plenty of time in a grocery store – when a lot of our treatments are in and out (performed quickly).”
BATTLING A NEW KIND OF PROHIBITION
The irony of owning a prohibition-theme bar during a time of pandemic restrictions is not lost on Gorge Camorra.
His 18th Amendment venue in central Geelong harks back to the days of speakeasy bars from the 1920s.
The name of the cocktail bar refers to the US constitutional amendment that aimed to limit alcoholic consumption.
Now Mr Camorra is facing prohibition, 100 years on. And like many hospitality owners he’s frustrated by restrictions on his trade, especially with such low infection rates in Geelong for months.
Only 10 people are allowed in the upstairs bar on Little Malop Street. Forty are allowed in an indoor venue but only 10 per room, a sticking point for Mr Camorra.
“It’s crippling us financially. I’m happy to keep opening up for now but I don’t know long term,’’ he said.
Mr Camorra also runs the nearby Manhattan bar as well as another in Ballarat.
In recent weeks he has taken over the Cartel Roasters cafe for Friday and Saturday evening to try to give staff work and customers somewhere to go.
“We really feel for our brothers and sisters in Melbourne. We’re open and we’re grateful but it could have been better,” Mr Camorra said.
The 18th Amendment has been voted the best regional bar in Australia and just received the emerging business top prize in the 2020 Geelong Business Excellence Awards.
“It’s strange that the prohibition era was all about people getting around the law. But we won’t do that. We just want certainty on what we can do,’’ Mr Camorra said.
CABS TO AID IN CONTACT TRACING
Contact tracing capabilities have been rolled out to thousands of taxis across Victoria in a bid to assist authorities clamp down on outbreaks.
Passengers in as many as 3000 13CABS vehicles will now be asked to scan a unique code on their phones that allows the company to log their name and number.
The details will be stored on a secure server and made available to public health authorities when needed to track the movement of a person infected with the coronavirus.
13CABS Melbourne general manager Greg Hardeman said the details would be used only if requested by health officials.
“This process is designed to make contact tracing easier should a passenger or driver be exposed to COVID-19,” Mr Hardeman said.
“Safety is big part of the 13CABS service offering. We see this as a natural step we need to take to ensure people who use our service are kept as safe as possible.”
All 13CABS cars are also provided with regular cleaning services to cut the risk of outbreaks. In July, the state government unveiled a $22m package to support the taxi, hire car and ridesharing industry.
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