21 new coronavirus cases, Victoria may remain outside nation’s safe travel bubble
Victoria has recorded 21 new coronavirus cases overnight, with six of those infections linked to community transmission. It comes as a stoush between South Australia and Victoria over borders has led to Daniel Andrews featuring in a viral Twitter video.
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There have been 21 new confirmed cases of coronavirus found in Victoria overnight, with 15 of these in hotel quarantine.
A contractor working at the Stamford Plaza and a resident at Rosstown Community, an aged care facility, in Carnegie are among the new individual infections.
Both these sites have been shut down for cleaning and close contacts asked to quarantine.
Victoria’s Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton said hotels were higher risk settings because they have individuals in quaratine, with almost 200 people in the state’s mandatory quaratine testing positive.
In reference to hotel staff, Prof Sutton said it was appropriate to review the safety protocols in place.
Another household contact from a patient who attended Monash Health has tested positive, with this cluster now reclassified as linked to a family in the southeastern suburbs.
All other cases are under investigation.
Prof Sutton said commmunity transmissions could “potentially” delay the return to work.
“A day like today can make me nervous,” he said.
Health Minister Jenny Mikakos said the total number of infections linked to community infection had grown by six.
The surge in overseas infections have been linked to increasing coronavirus numbers in India and other parts of the subcontinent.
Not all the returned travellers are Victorians, with many spending their time in quaratine in the state until they are cleared to return to their home state.
Prof Sutton said he wasn’t frustrated by the high number of coronavirus cases in returned travellers, despite other states bragging about low coronavirus numbers.
VICTORIA MISSES OUT ON TRAVEL BUBBLE
It comes as Victoria could be excluded from a travel bubble allowing some Australians to crisscross the country free of coronavirus quarantine restrictions.
But as South Australia on Wednesday opens its borders to residents of select states, other jurisdictions are questioning the legitimacy of moves to exclude Victoria and NSW from the bubble due to ongoing COVID-19 outbreaks.
The proposed bubble could cover South Australia, Queensland, Western Australia, the ACT, Tasmania and the Northern Territory.
The move comes as Victoria was forced to close its third school this week after a Strathmore Primary School student was among nine new Victorian cases confirmed on Tuesday.
Victoria’s Deputy Chief Health Officer Annaliese van Diemen said the easing of South Australia’s borders was a decision for its government.
“It is clear WA and NT have less cases than Victoria … so I can see how they have done it,” Dr van Diemen said.
“Victoria’s position has always been that our state borders have remained open.”
From this morning, people from WA, the NT and Tasmania will be able to travel into South Australia without having to stay in quarantine for 14 days, while easing restrictions on Queenslanders is also under consideration.
However, WA Premier Mark McGowan said he had received Commonwealth advice that discriminating against Victorian and NSW travellers was unconstitutional.
Victoria’s coronavirus cases continued to climb to 1741, including 51 active.
The border restrictions has created a war of words between politicians, with Federal Trade Minister Simon Birmingham firing back at Premier Dan Andrews over his “cheap” shot at South Australia.
The Victorian Premier said “No offence to South Australians but why would you want to go there” when asked about SA keeping its borders closed to his state.
Mr Birmingham said Mr Andrew’s was desperately trying to distract from the political scandal engulfing his government.
“It sounds like a desperate distraction from Dan Andrews who clearly thinks that sparking up a cheap tit-for-tat war of words with another state might distract people from the endemic corruption within the Victorian Labour Party,” Mr Birmingham said.
The stoush between states has continued, with the South Australian Premier taking to Twitter to rebute Mr Andrews comments.
SA Premier Steven Marshall tagged Mr Andrews in a video on Twitter that showcased some of the many reasons people visit South Australia.
@DanielAndrewsMP asked why anyone would want to go to South Australia.
— Steven Marshall, MP (@marshall_steven) June 17, 2020
Well Dan, here's why 👇 pic.twitter.com/JdhG4DwLKB
ANIMAL HOSPITAL CLOSES OVER VIRUS
Sunbury Animal Hospital has closed because of exposure to a positive COVID-19 case at the vet clinic.
It’s not known if the positive case was a vet or client.
A statement released online by the animal hospital, which is based in Macedon St, said they expect to close for 48 hours for a deep clean.
“This is purely a safety precaution and no direct exposure has occurred with any clients or pets,” the statement reads.
“The health and wellbeing of our staff, clients and pets is paramount and we are taking every precaution to ensure their safety.
“We would like to stress again that no close contact between the coronavirus positive person and any other clients has occurred.”
The animal hospital is pointing clients to other vets in the meantime should they need urgent care.
They have told them to contact either Gisborne Veterinary Clinic or Sunbury All Creatures.
Sunbury Animal Hospital said they are expecting to reopen at 8am on Friday.
Sunbury Animal Hospital couldn’t be contacted for comment.
TRANSMISSION AMONG CHILDREN REMAINS RARE
Despite the closure of Strathmore Primary for cleaning after a student with mild symptoms tested positive, Dr van Diemen said there were no major concerns about the wider education system because transmission among children remained rare.
“At this point in time we haven’t had any transmission within schools, which is the purpose to closing the schools for as short as possible time period,” she said.
Two of the newly detected cases are linked to a Monash Health cluster, while another is a close contact of an extended family outbreak tracing back to Coburg.
That cluster has infected 12 people and forced the closure of Pakenham Springs and St Dominic’s primary schools.
It comes as Australian Bureau of Statistics data released on Tuesday showed Victoria was the only state to continue shedding jobs last month.
HOW COVID-19 HAS TRANSFORMED RETAIL
Australia Post chief Christine Holgate says the coronavirus pandemic has “changed the game” for retail, driving years of online transformation into just weeks.
Victorians living on the coast have been the most likely to try online shopping for the first time during the shutdown, Australia Post analysis shows.
The nation’s postal service has dramatically lifted its forecast for the speed and breadth of online sales penetration in the retail sector in the wake of the lockdown, which closed many bricks and mortar stores.
“The global pandemic has brought change on a scale that we’ve never seen before, altering the trajectory of the e-commerce industry,” Ms Holgate said. “Social distancing, self-isolation and the closure of bricks and mortar stores has meant online has become not just the preferred way to shop but arguably the only way to shop, prompting unprecedented online growth as retailers and shoppers alike adapt to a new normal.”
Leading into the crisis, Australia Post had forecast online purchases — excluding cafes, restaurants and takeaway food — to account for 12 per cent of all sales by the end of 2021.
Its 2020 Ecommerce Industry Report, to be released today, estimates online sales reached that level in March.
Australia Post now expects online purchases to represent 15 per cent of all retail sales by the end of the year.
“The pandemic’s changed the game, bringing years’ worth of change in just a matter of weeks,” Ms Holgate said.
Victoria has experienced the greatest growth in online shopping with those living in coastal communities the most likely to try e-commerce for the first time. The number of online orders from Victorians in April was up 111 per cent on the same month in 2019.
This compares to a national increase of 95 per cent.
My Pet Warehouse has reported “significant” online sales increases during the pandemic, with premium food, prescription diet and cat litter the most popular purchases.
“We also saw customers looking for toys and treats for their pets and also, for some fun things,” chief executive Tamalin Morton said.
“Pet parents liked buying matching dog and pet parent onesies and also new beds for their pet — it was all about being comfy at home.”
Point Lonsdale, on the Bellarine Peninsula, recorded the biggest percentage surge in new online shoppers in the nation, followed by Cowes on Phillip Island, while Portarlington was ranked seventh and Rye eighth.
This all comes after Victoria retained its top spot in driving the nation’s shift to e-commerce in 2019.
Point Cook in Melbourne’s southwest was the top location in Australia for online shoppers for the fifth year running, with Cranbourne, in Melbourne’s southeast, second, moving up from fifth in 2018.
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