Chadstone cluster: Shopping centre outbreak grows, putting lockdown plans at risk

A rapidly growing coronavirus cluster from a Melbourne shopping centre is spreading into regional Victoria, plunging the exit from lockdown into jeopardy.

Victoria’s road map out of lockdown is being put at risk by a single Melbourne shopping centre cluster that has now swelled to 31 cases.

Jeroen Weimar, testing commander at the Department of Health and Human Services, confirmed today that the “challenging outbreak” has worsened.

“It’s a very active shopping centre,” Mr Weimar said. “We now have 31 cases associated with Chadstone. That means people either contacted it through contact at Chadstone or also through household contact of those individuals.”

And the outbreak has escaped the metropolitan area and reached regional Victoria.

Widespread testing is taking place in Kilmore, 60km north of Melbourne, after a cafe worker and another person tested positive to COVID-19 following a visit from a Melburnian linked to the Chadstone outbreak.

The owner of the Oddfellows Cafe, in Kilmore, confirmed the employee’s diagnosis on Facebook, saying they were “devastated” and “angry” in a series of posts.

Victorian health authorities have now listed the cafe as a “high risk” location, saying the infected person visited on September 30 between 7am and 10am.

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The outbreak began at Chadstone Shopping Centre in Melbourne. Picture: NCA / NewsWire / Ian Currie

Anyone who ate at the cafe between Wednesday September 30 and Saturday October 3 are being urged to come forward for testing as soon as possible.

Oddfellows Cafe owner Kim Short took to social media to reveal her heartbreak at being contacted by health authorities on Monday and told a positive case from Melbourne had dined there.

Later that day, she revealed one of her staff members had tested positive for coronavirus after coming into contact with the infected diner.

“I am devasted (sic) to announce that late this afternoon we had the dreaded call from DHHS to say that one of our staff members who was in contact with the customer on Wednesday has tested positive to COVID-19,” she wrote.

“The cafe will remain closed until Monday the 19th of October or until further notice. All our staff are quarantined and following the DHHS rules.”

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On Sunday, Ms Short said she had “worked so hard” to keep their business open.

“To say I’m upset this has happened when it shouldn’t of (sic) is an understatement,” she wrote.

“I’m angry but trying not to be as I’m sure they are feeling bad enough. I just know it has shaken us up & hopefully others.”

She said the Melburnian was allowed to leave the CBD to provide care to someone in Kilmore, but decided to dine at the cafe while passing through.

High risk location: KILMORE
📍 Oddfellows Cafe, 36 Sydney Street. Kilmore.

If you visited between 30 Sep and 3 Oct you may have come into contact with #coronavirus (COVID-19). Get tested even if you have no symptoms. pic.twitter.com/ji2jYS8acn

— VicGovDHHS (@VicGovDHHS) October 6, 2020

They tested positive over the weekend after unknowingly coming into contact with a worker in the Chadstone cluster.

Prof Sutton on Monday told reporters the Melburnian was only permitted to buy take away from the cafe.

According to heath guidelines, restrictions apply to Melburnians even if they are outside metropolitan Melbourne.

The Melburnian also triggered a virus alert at White Line Tyres in Benalla on September 30, the same day they dined at Oddfellows.

The Chadstone cluster now includes eight workers, 11 family and household members and four customers.

Victoria has recorded six new cases in the past 24 hours. The rolling average for Melbourne, over 14 days, is 9.9.

The next step on Melbourne’s road map to easing restrictions can happen after October 19, if the 14-day statewide average is less than five and there are fewer than five cases from unknown sources in the past 14 days.

Originally published as Chadstone cluster: Shopping centre outbreak grows, putting lockdown plans at risk