Another death and cases climb by 275 as Victorians scramble to find masks
The next two days may determine if Victoria can avoid stricter stay-at-home conditions, with authorties not ruling out the possibility of stage 4 lockdowns. It comes as two Melbourne Woolworths distribution centres were shut over a COVID-19 outbreak, sparking fears that stock shortages may impact customers.
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The next two days will be crucial in showing whether Victoria has begun reverse its second wave of COVID-19 and whether stricter lockdowns can be avoided.
Increased attention is also focusing on regional Victoria, where coronavirus cases have jumped by a third in the past fortnight.
Wednesday will mark 14 days since Melbourne and Mitchell Shire entered six weeks of Stage 3 restrictions, providing health authorities with the first full assessment of whether or not the stay at home measures are having an impact.
The rollercoaster of daily COVID-19 infections continued on Monday with 217 cases - following up and down days of 428 cases on Friday, 217 cases on Saturday, and 363 on Sunday.
A woman in an aged care home aged in her 80s died of COVID-19, Premier Daniel Andrews said on Monday, taking the state’s death toll to 39.
Mr Andrews said he was “cautious” about the latest figures, warning the overall trend would have to be evaluated after a full 14-day incubation cycle.
“We had a very big day on Friday and we’ve then had a substantial drop off even though we have done more tests,” Mr Andrews said.
“I know a day in this pandemic feels like a month…but it won’t be until Wednesday that we get to the full two weeks since the stay at home orders across all of Metro Melbourne.
“We shouldn’t interpret this data as if we are in week five of the six week lockdown.
“Let’s wait and see how the week unfolds (but) certainly we are always happy to report lower numbers than higher ones.”
Since metro Melbourne was locked down regional Victorian cases have risen from 263 on July 8, to 348 cases on Monday.
In Geelong cases have doubled from six to 13 cases in the past 48 hours while a Colac abattoir cluster has grown to 12.
Mr Andrews said has was “watching every regional case very, very closely” but not planning on extending restrictions yet.
“The risk is obviously very high that if we don’t have a handle of those, we don’t have those people at home and a really comprehensive public health response, those numbers will grow,” he said.
“But I certainly have no advice from Bret (Sutton) or any of his team about changing the setting beyond Metro Melbourne and Mitchell Shire.”
An aged care home resident in her 80s became the 39th Victorian to die in the pandemic, while another 31 were in intensive care on Monday, including 16 needing respirators.
Almost 150 coronavirus patients are in the state’s hospitals as 2913 active cases remain active across the state.
Police have fined revellers renting an Airbnb apartment more than $33,000 for disobeying strict stay at home orders.
The 20 people gathered at the CBD apartment each copped a $1652 fine for flouting the law.
Officers slapped disobedient Victorians with a total of 138 fines in the past 24 hours for failing to comply with stay at home requirements.
Among those were 20 people fined at vehicle checkpoints.
Mr Andrews said young people in particular needed to appreciate the seriousness of the situation.
“There are many families across our state who are dealing with the fact that I loved one is in hospital, who are dealing with the fact that I left one is needing a machine to help them breath, there are many families across Melbourne that are planning funerals at the moment,” Mr Andrews said.
“Now is not the time to be having parties, breaking rules and not only putting yourself at risk but potentially risking the health and wellbeing of others.”
CLUSTERS CONTINUE TO GROW
There are currently 429 healthcare workers infected with coronavirus, of which 164 were acquired in the community.
A total of 287 cases have been recorded in residents of public housing towers in North Melbourne and Flemington.
A total of 54 cases are linked to various public housing towers in Carlton.
The new cases have brought existing outbreaks to the following number of total cases:
— 173 cases linked to Al-Taqwa College
— 57 cases linked to Somerville Retail Services in Tottenham
— 36 cases linked to JBS in Brooklyn
— 4 cases linked to Nestle Campbellfield
— 12 cases linked to Australian Lamb Company in Colac
— 5 cases linked to Australian Pharmaceutical Industries in Dandenong South
— 13 cases linked to Goodman Fielder Pampas in West Footscray
— 13 cases linked to St Basil’s Homes for the Aged in Fawkner
— 40 cases linked to Estia Health in Ardeer
— 28 cases linked to Glendale Aged Care facility in Werribee
— 18 cases linked to the Royal Melbourne Hospital Royal Park campus
— 20 cases linked to LaManna Supermarket in Essendon Fields
— 14 cases linked to Embracia Aged Care Moonee Valley in Avondale Heights
— 5 cases linked to Japara Central Park Aged Care Home in Windsor
While the following schools have closed for cleaning and further investigation following notification of a case;
— Charles La Trobe College
— Roxburgh College
— Overport Primary School
— Drysdale Primary School
— Toorak Primary School
— Princes Hill Secondary College
— Pascoe Vale Girls Secondary College
— Grovedale West Primary School
— Victorian College of the Arts Secondary School
— Trinity College Colac
— Parkville College - Malmsbury Campus
— Leibler Yavneh College
WOOLIES SHUTS DISTRIBUTION SITES
An outbreak of 17 coronavirus cases has shut Woolworths’ two distribution centres in Melbourne’s southeast indefinitely.
The supermarket giant is desperately trying to limit infections among staff as potential stock shortages loom at stores across the state if the closure of the distribution centres is prolonged.
Across the weekend 12 workers from the produce warehouse returned positive test results – six on Saturday and six on Sunday – taking the total number to 13, while four employees have also contracted the virus at the adjacent national site.
The sharp spike in cases prompted the company to shut the Melbourne Produce Distribution Centre on Saturday night, while the Melbourne National Distribution Centre was closed on Sunday night.
NCA NewsWire has been told hundreds of workers have been directed by the Department of Health and Human Services to self-isolate until at least the end of the month.
It’s understood a temporary facility is being set up in the carpark, and workers will need to return a negative test result before they are allowed to return to both sites.
A Woolworths spokesman said the company would lean on the distribution centre at Wodonga and a pop-up site in Somerton as well as third party providers to help deliver stock to supermarkets.
“We’re currently using temporary measures to deliver produce from alternative distribution centres to ensure we can maintain fruit and vegetable supply in our Victorian supermarkets,” he said.
“All other Victorian distribution centres remain open and continue to dispatch stock deliveries to stores as normal.”
He said the majority of the cases were picked up through their voluntary proactive coronavirus testing program at both sites.
Woolworths also conducted surface testing for the presence of COVID-19 in both warehouses, which came back negative, but one worker said it was completed five minutes after the area was cleaned.
The Shop, Distributive and Allied Employees Association met with the company on Monday afternoon, with state secretary Michael Donovan informing workers the union wanted to make sure all staff were healthy and it was safe to work when the sites reopened.
Workers at both distribution centres had been growing increasingly frustrated at the delays in closing the warehouses for deep cleaning despite the mounting cases before Saturday night.
The company spokesman said both sites had since been forensically cleaned and they would work closely with the DHHS to determine when they could resume operations.
Woolworths was made aware of the first case on July 13, with two more cases reported on July 16 and another two on July 17 before the site was closed on July 18 following six more cases.
Earlier this month competitor Coles was forced to reintroduce purchase limits at its Victorian and Tasmanian stores after multiple workers at its Laverton chilled distribution centre tested positive for coronavirus and hurt the supermarket giant’s ability to replenish shelves.
— Jack Paynter
TWO COURT STAFFERS TEST POSITIVE
Two Melbourne court staffers have tested positive to coronavirus.
The employees - one at the Melbourne Magistrates’ Court and the other at Heidelberg Magistrates’ Court - are understood to be close contacts of each other.
Ten staff members across the two sites are in isolation after being deemed close contacts but all have so far returned negative test results.
The Melbourne staff member was last in court on Friday 10 July and the Heidelberg staffer has not been at work since Wednesday last week.
Neither were experiencing symptoms while at work and no members of the public that attended court have been deemed close contacts, a court spokeswoman said.
“Appropriate cleaning has been undertaken at both sites, and support is being provided to all staff,”
“Court staff have been working in teams so the diagnoses have not impacted court operations,” the court spokeswoman said.
The health and wellbeing of our staff, judicial officers, stakeholders and court users remains our highest priority.”
It comes just days after two of Victoria’s biggest prisons have been exposed to COVID-19 after the first recorded case in a prisoner.
- Genevieve Alison
MASKS TO BE PROVIDED TO STUDENTS
Education Minister James Merlino said although most students in Victoria’s lockdown areas - metropolitan Melbourne and Mitchell Shire - were learning from home, masks would be provided to students who were learning on campus.
“Any student who needs a mask will be provided with one,” Mr Merlino said.
“From Thursday, our community will look different with the mandatory use of masks.
“In this space, education is very well prepared.
“We already have 1.2 million single use masks and we will be distributing those to all government schools in Melbourne metro and Mitchell Shire over the coming couple of days and we will also be providing these single use masks for our Catholic and independent schools.
“Secondly, there is an order for reusable masks. 1.37 million reusable masks have been ordered and the Department of Education will be one of the first to receive the first batch of these reusable masks and we will have those by early next week and we will be distributing those out to Government and non-Government schools in Melbourne metro and Mitchell shire.
“Students may also choose to wear bandanas or scarves to school.”
Masks would not be mandatory for teachers, Mr Merlino said.
“It is not a requirement for teachers in the classroom because it is not always practical,” he said.
“Teachers will be able not to wear a mask or they won’t be required to wear a mask during instruction but beyond the classroom, in the staff room, in the schoolyard, teachers and staff will be required to wear a mask.”
Mr Merlino said the government had supplied laptops to students for remote learning.
“We are now up to 61,000 laptops and devices for students who need them, as well as around 23,000 SIM cards and dongles,” he said.
“All students, as they arrive for school, whether that is for face to face learning for our VCE and V-Cal students in our special students or whether it is for students who need to undertake remote learning on site if their parents can’t provide a home learning environment, if they’re a student with a disability or if they’re a vulnerable student.
“We have distributed more than 14,000 infrared thermometers to schools across Melbourne metro and Mitchell Shire.”
Mr Merlino said remote learning plans would be in place for at least the next four weeks.
“I would say that we have got orders that run for six weeks, so we are just about to hit the two-week mark of that six-week stay at home border,” he said.
“That is aligned with the special and remote learning and the special arrangements for Year 12, kids with special needs or kids who can’t be at home and of course specialist schools.
“We will need to see where the numbers are, as we approach the end of that six-week period. “Six weeks should be enough if we are all following the rules, if we are all playing our part.”
PREMIER’S MESSAGE FOR VICTORIANS BREAKING THE RULES
The Premier urged Victorians who were flouting restrictions to consider the families of those who had lost their lives to the virus.
“This is no time for parties. This is very serious,” he said.
“We send our love, our thoughts and prayers and best wishes to the family of the woman in her 80s who passed away since we were last here on this podium.
“I can’t say that there won’t be further deaths.
“I think that if people just think about that for a moment, this are many families across our State who are dealing with the fact that a loved one is in hospital, dealing with the fact that a loved one is needing a machine to help them breathe.
“There are many families across Melbourne that are planning funerals at the moment.
“Now is not the time to be having parties, breaking the rules and not only putting yourself at risk but potentially risking the health and wellbeing of others.”
Mr Andrews cautioned that younger Victorians were also susceptible to the virus.
“Whilst the most recent deaths have been in older people... We have an enormous body of evidence across the world that show people who are otherwise healthy, people from all age groups that have died because of this global pandemic,” he said.
“The other point that [chief health officer] Professor Sutton has made, and increasingly the medical literature supports across the world, many people who get COVID-19, they get well but well in the context of a chronic condition that lingers for some time, not the notion of a common cold, where you would be well only a few days later.
“Something that lingers with lasting impacts for a period of time.
“Now is not the time for people to be having parties. Now is not the time for people to be breaking the rules. This is the reality we face.”
GEELONG SCHOOLS CLOSE AFTER POSITIVE CASES
Three schools in Victoria have shut as students return for remote learning today .
Two schools in Geelong, Grovedale West Primary School and Drysdale Primary School, and Roxburgh College in Melbourne’s northern suburbs have all closed.
The two Geelong schools are outside of the stage three restrictions currently in place for metropolitan Melbourne and Mitchell Shire.
Notes were sent to parents from both schools on Sunday night confirming there had been positive cases of COVID-19 at each school.
Both schools will close for 24 from Monday and all staff and students will remain at home.
The Premier said there were no immediate plans for imposing stage three restrictions on Geelong.
“I have no advice from Brett or any of his team about changing settings beyond metro Melbourne and Mitchell Shire,” Mr Andrews said.
“We are watching those every regional case very closely.”
Parents at Roxburgh College received confirmation via text and school information systems that the school would close on Monday for at least 24 hours after a positive test at their school.
Toorak Primary School has reportedly recorded its second case of COVID-19 since the pandemic started and has closed for deep cleaning.
It was one of the first schools to record a positive test in the state when it closed on March 17 earlier this year.
The school could not be contacted for comment.
‘EVERY CASE’ COULD BE LINKED TO HOTEL QUARANTINE: INQUIRY
The Premier said the ultimate responsibility for the state rested with himself, and he would be participating fully with the inquiry into the state's botched hotel quarantine program.
“What went on is not acceptable. We need to get the answers and we need to know exactly what happened,” Mr Andrews said.
The first public hearing got under way in Melbourne on Monday morningwhere it heard short opening statements from the Jennifer Coate, AO, who is leading the inquiry, and senior counsel assisting the inquiry, Tony Neal, QC.
No witnesses were called on Monday and Mr Neal told the inquiry the first evidentiary public hearing would start on August 6, when the examination of witnesses would commence.
He said evidence already available to the inquiry suggested the possibility of a link between many of the cases of coronavirus identified in the Victorian community in the past few weeks and people who were quarantined under the hotel program.
“Comments made by the chief health officer to the media have suggested that it may even be that every case of COVID-19 in Victoria in recent weeks could be sourced to the hotel quarantine program,” Mr Neal said.
Read the full story here.
MANDATORY MASKS IN MELBOURNE AND MITCHELL SHIRE
The Premier said he was disappointed to hear reports of price gouging on disposible masks.
“I would encourage everybody to be fair and reasonable,” Mr Andrews said.
“I would encourage everybody to do the right thing and acknowledge that this is no time to be profiting from the pain of others.
“There is no time to be doing that, regardless of a global pandemic or not.
“To that end, we have got more than two million multi-use masks...The first of those orders
arrives this week.
“We will use some in our stockpile, we have already ordered replacements for those so that will be replenished because that is there for the very worst of outcomes.”
The Premier’s words come as Victorians scramble to buy masks that become mandatory in public within days, with the state government yet to reveal how it will issue millions it has placed on order.
An initial 300,000 masks ordered by the government won’t arrive until later this week but $200 fines for not wearing a face covering kick in from Thursday.
The rule comes after Victoria’s “rollercoaster” coronavirus tally soared by a further 363 new cases on Sunday.
Panicked residents in Victoria’s coronavirus hot spots have been rushing to buy face masks before wearing them out of doors becomes mandatory.
Premier Daniel Andrews’ announcement that from 11.59pm on Wednesday, those not wearing masks or facial coverings will receive a $200 fine.
As a result, shops in Melbourne and Mitchell Shire have seen an influx of customers this afternoon rushing to buy the soon-to-be essential item.
Victoria recorded 363 new cases of COVID-19 on Sunday.
On Twitter, people have described scenes of total chaos and wild queues as people “climb over each other” to buy either pre-made masks or the equipment needed to make their own.
“It is going NUTS here; car park full and queue of about 50 people waiting to get in!” one wrote, sharing a photo from a queue outside a Spotlight store.
Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews wore a blue mask as he held a press conference to announce the rule on Sunday.
Masks will be mandatory for anyone outside their home in all 31 metropolitan lockdown areas of Melbourne, and Mitchell Shire.
“I understand this is a big shift and that not being able to see each other’s faces might be confronting,” Mr Andrews said. “But this virus is incredibly infectious.”
Masks “do not need to be hospital grade”, and instead can be homemade, a scarf or some kind of cloth covering like a bandana that fits tightly over the mouth and nose.
Victoria’s chief health officer, Brett Sutton, backed the move, saying there was “no absolutely clear sign that numbers are decreasing”.
“It’s been a rollercoaster in terms of numbers,” Prof Sutton said.
Authorities hope the move will keep Victoria out of a stage four lockdown, but warned further restrictions — including limiting travel from your house for food and essentials — could be introduced.
It comes as Victoria recorded three more deaths — taking the state’s toll to 38 — including two in aged-care homes.
Lines up to 30 minutes at Spotlight in Springvale. Sewing machines almost gone. Everyone buying fabric to make their own masks after mandatory rules set for residents in Melbourne lockdown areas. #MaskUpMelbourne #Masks pic.twitter.com/fO8RZ98zCj
— Brooke Grebert-Craig (@brooke_gc) July 19, 2020
EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT MASK RULE
More than 80 per cent of Victoria’s cases since mid-May were spread at workplaces, Premier Daniel Andrews said on Sunday, and there was significant transmission through the aged-care sector.
In response, the Victorian and federal governments have unveiled a plan to aid the sector, providing funding to minimise staff moving between centres, increasing testing and providing intensive training in infection control for staff.
Staff without sick leave will be eligible for $1500 payments if asked to self isolate, and visitation will be restricted to carers only, with a limit of one hour per day.
Meanwhile, the NSW Government has taken the extraordinary step of establishing a border exclusion zone along the Murray River, which takes effect from midnight on Tuesday.
“Border zone residents with a permit will only be able to cross into the other side of the NSW-Victorian border zone to go to work or attend an education institution if they can’t work or learn from home, or to obtain medical care, supplies or health services,” NSW Health Minister Brad Hazzard said.
- with Rebekah Scanlan and Rohan Smith
SOME TOWER RESIDENTS REMAIN IN QUARANTINE
More than 120 North Melbourne housing commission residents are still in quarantine, despite their tower being released from “hard lockdown”.
On Sunday, hundreds of resident at 33 Albert Street were able to leave their homes for essential reasons after the state government lifted its controversial fortnight-long restrictions on the building.
Bilma Albarenga, 67, who has lived in her apartment for more than 20 years, said it was nice to return to normal after being locked down since July 4.
She warned Melburnians against being complacent.
“It is a relief to be able to walk around and shop for myself,” Ms Albarenga said. “For people still out there doing things like normal, stay inside.
“Look at what happened here and learn from it.”
Another resident, who did not wish to be named, said those flouting the restrictions while the towers were in lockdown were “selfish”. “This will never end if people do not start to care,” he said.
Ali Abdalla, 18, endured the restrictions — some of the toughest in Australia — with his mother in their 11th floor apartment and said that it was a relief to set foot outside.
“We finally have our freedom; it is awesome to be outside,” Mr Abdalla said.
The architecture and engineering student said the government did its best to provide food and medical aid, but he found it most difficult being unable to check on family living across Melbourne.
TRAFFIC EASES IN FIRST WEEK OF LOCKDOWN
Movement data has shown that in the first week of lockdown, Melburnians obeyed stay-at-home orders with traffic in some areas dropping by 68 per cent.
In the week leading up to July 14, the number of pedestrians in the city fell by 30 per cent and in Greater Melbourne traffic was below normal levels in all postcodes.
Only two postcodes experienced increases in traffic on the weekend, and those were Broadmeadows and Meadow Heights.
Health Minister Jenny Mikakos welcomed the news. “It’s good to see the majority of Victorians are doing the right thing, but we want to see these numbers continue to go down,” she said.
“There are four reasons to leave the home. Victorians should still be leaving home only for those four reasons.”
SHOPPERS STILL VISITING STORES
Bricks and mortar retailers are not being completely shunned by consumers, according to a major new survey.
About 60 per cent of consumers purchased non-grocery items from physical stores in the six months until May — despite coronavirus restrictions and a rise in popularity of online shopping.
The survey should provide some much needed good news for the retail sector that is being devastated by the virus restrictions.
Dr Eloise Zoppos, a senior research consultant with the Australian Consumer Retail Studies unit at Monash University, said the results came as a surprise.
“Our research has shown people still prefer an in-store experience for most of their non-grocery purchases,” Dr Zoppos said.
The annual survey examined consumer shopping behaviour, and asked specifically about where people have shopped during the pandemic.
“It captures a point in time when a lot of retailers had closed their doors and consumer behaviours had started to change,” Dr Zoppos said.
“Our research showed that in the last six months 59 per cent of consumers spend was made across all non-grocery categories — and that’s very surprising when online shopping is booming.”
JOBKEEPER CONDITIONS ‘BETTER’
The next phase of JobKeeper will take place in an economic environment “better” than the government originally feared, according to Finance Minister Mathias Cormann.
That was despite the damage Melbourne’s second wave had already had on the state and national bottom lines, and more than a quarter of a million Victorian businesses already on the scheme.
Ahead of his economic statement on Thursday, Treasurer Josh Frydenberg was considering moving away from the $1500 flat rate of wage subsidies toward sliding payments.
Senator Cormann foreshadowed changes to eligibility requirements.
“Clearly the situation is now better than it was at the end of March. The situation is better than what we feared now,” he said on Sunday.
ACTU president Michele O’Neil said she wanted to see the program extended another six months and would welcome more eligibility checks.
“We think it makes sense that you check whether the companies are still in distress,” Ms O’Neil told the ABC.
Additional reporting by Alex White, Olivia Jenkins and Tamsin Rose
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