Rolling coverage: No new COVID cases for Victoria

Health Minister Martin Foley says Victoria followed national guidelines when it allowed a woman with the UK coronavirus strain to leave after 10 days in isolation.

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Victoria saw no new locally-acquired cases of coronavirus on Saturday as more than 28,000 people were tested in the past 24 hours.

The Department of Health and Human Services also revealed one new infection in returned overseas travellers in hotel quarantine.

There are 40 active cases of COVID-19 across the state. There were 28,337 tests undertaken in the past 24 hours.

VIC QUARANTINE CASE CARRIED UK VIRUS TO QLD

Health Minister Martin Foley said Victoria had followed national guidelines when it allowed a woman with the UK coronavirus strain to leave after 10 days in isolation.

He said she was tested on the first day of hotel quarantine and released after three days without being symptomatic.

“That was the AHPPC national system of which all jurisdictions abide,” Mr Foley said.

“That system has (since) been toughened.

“She has been retested out of an abundance of caution and we are co-operating with our friends from Queensland.”

Victorian Health Minister Martin Foley. Picture: NCA NewsWire

Despite efforts by public health teams in Queensland to trace people on the woman’s flight to Brisbane, Mr Foley said he did not believe the Jetstar plane was an exposure site.

Under the revamped hotel quarantine system, returned travellers are required to get tested on the third and eleventh day of their isolation.

But it’s believed this did not apply because the woman had already returned a positive result at the start of her quarantine.

“She’s tested positive but she’s not infectious, is the advice of the Queensland Chief Health Officer,” Mr Foley said.

“You can continue to shed virus and be positive for up to 120 days after you’re no longer infectious.

“I would urge anyone on that (Jetstar) flight to co-operate with the Queensland public health advice.”

Mr Foley urged people in Queensland wanting to return to Victoria not to travel through any of the hot spot areas.

“If you’re in the rest of Queensland do not enter those five local government areas,” he said.

“You shouldn’t go to Brisbane Airport from outside of Brisbane but as I understand it, it is more than OK if you are transiting.”

QUEENSLAND TRACKING UK CASE

The woman arrived in Victoria from the UK on December 26 and flew into Queensland to visit family on a Jetstar flight on January 5.

Queensland chief health officer Dr Jeanette Young said state health authorities were notified on late Friday about the case by Victoria.

“She flew on a Jetstar flight, arriving here in Brisbane late on 5 January. We are just confirming the details of which flight because there were a number of Jetstar flights that evening,” Dr Young said on Saturday morning.

Then she travelled up to the outskirts of Maleny where she remains at her parents’ home.

“Her parents have been tested and we‘re working through any close contacts that need to be looked at there,” Dr Young said.

It comes after Queensland has recorded no new virus cases as residents in Greater Brisbane woke to the first morning of its three day lockdown as the state scrambles to contain a mutant strain of COVID-19.

VICTORIANS MAKE MAD RUSH HOME FROM QLD

Dozens of passengers travelling from Brisbane have been tested for COVID-19 at Melbourne Airport – with many eager to be home as Queensland ramps up efforts to contain the virus.

Several flights landed at the airport on Saturday where passengers were greeted by health officials gowned in full personal protective gear.

Health checks were conducted and passengers quizzed about their movements before a photo was taken of their identification.

However, while passengers queued up to be tested in a screening room others were given the option to go home and get tested.

Jessica Hickey and partner Spencer Davis, who flew in from Brisbane, were relieved to make it back to Melbourne.

The couple from Beaumaris and South Yarra said they provided their details and movements including why they were returning home to health officials at Melbourne Airport.

“We just had to sign in,” Ms Hickey, 25, said. “Very simple. Basically just say we hadn’t been in a red zone at all and we were just using Brisbane as a thoroughfare basically.

“They said, ‘we recommend you get a test and isolate’ so we’re going to do that. Just recommended not mandatory.

“We were staying in Noosa Heads and we were unable to get flights from Sunshine Coast so we came via Brisbane.”

Mr Davis added: “We just wanted to get out before any time for the closure. We were actually meant to come home yesterday but we got bumped off our flight.

“We live next door to a testing clinic so we’re just going to go home,” they said. “We just wanted to get out before any time for the closure.”

Geelong couple Tom Fairbairn, 31, and Louise Everding, 41, said they decided to get tested after touching down, adding the health advice and checks before and after their flight was “all straight forward” after they holidayed on the Gold Coast for just under two weeks.

“Now we go home and isolate until we find out (our results). Apart from that pretty normal,” Mr Fairbairn said.

All passengers the Herald Sun spoke to said people onboard flights were socially distanced and masks were mandatory.

The Perry family, who celebrated their son’s 30th birthday in Brisbane, said they chose to come back “just in case” after Queensland enforced a three day lockdown of the Brisbane area.

They also said they had no problems entering the gates at Melbourne nor required an exemption – despite having visited the Brisbane area which is currently under lockdown.

“We booked a flight and left the airport this morning and here we are,” Brian Perry said.

“We decided to get tested when we’re here rather than going home and then being in the long queues.”

Mr Perry’s wife added: “I think people just think you’re coming back to Melbourne ‘Oh, a relief but Brisbane always feels quite safe.”

There was 1 case notified to the department in the past 24 hours. This includes 0 locally acquired and 1 in hotel quarantine. There are currently 40 active cases, and 28,337 tests received - thank you for getting tested. #Everytesthelps https://t.co/2vKbgKHFvv#COVID19VicData pic.twitter.com/ougMw6iqfN

— VicGovDHHS (@VicGovDHHS) January 8, 2021

SYDNEY FAMILY TESTS POSITIVE TO MUTANT VIRUS

A family-of-four in NSW hotel quarantine have tested positive to the worrying South African mutation of COVID-19, NSW Health has revealed.

Like the UK strain, which is believed to be up to 70 per cent more transmissible than earlier version of the virus, the South African strain is passed on at an alarming rate.

Since November 30, NSW Health has confirmed it has also detected six cases of the UK strain of coronavirus with two of those still in isolation.

READ FULL STORY HERE

WHAT BRISBANE LOCKDOWN MEANS FOR VICTORIANS

After the Queensland government ordered a three-day lockdown of the Brisbane area, Victoria’s Department of Health on Friday afternoon warned any Victorians who visited or travelled through the local government areas of Brisbane City Council, Moreton Bay Regional Council, Redland, Ipswich or Logan City councils since January 2 not to leave those areas until at least Monday.

Those who have arrived in Victoria from these areas since January 2 should get tested and remain at home or their place of accommodation until Monday, when a further assessment will be made.

All Victorians in these areas are being advised to follow the guidance of the Queensland government.

Any Victorian with plans to travel to these areas should cancel them.

The advice comes after National Cabinet declared Queensland a national hotspot after the discovery of a UK variant of COVID-19 in a cleaner at a Brisbane quarantine hotel.

People arrive at Melbourne Airport from their Brisbane flights. Picture: David Crosling

SUPER STRAIN WARNINGS FOR TRAVELLERS TO VICTORIA

Thousands who travelled to Victoria from southeast Queensland in the past week have been ordered to get tested and isolate this weekend as Brisbane ramps up efforts to contain a coronavirus super strain.

The local government areas of Brisbane, Logan, Ipswich, Moreton and Redlands on Friday began a three-day lockdown as the Palaszczuk gov­ernment jumped on a potential outbreak sparked by a hotel quarantine cleaner. The region has been declared a coronavirus hotspot and interstate travel in and out of the area is restricted to those with exemptions.

More than 4000 Victorians stuck in NSW are awaiting permits to come home and those in Brisbane have been asked to stay put for a few days.

Inside Victoria, anyone who has visited the hotspot areas since January 2 and is already in the state must also get a test and isolate until Monday when there would be further advice from the state government.

Some travellers said they had been free to leave Melbourne Airport with no interaction with health authorities or police.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison on Friday welcomed Queensland’s decision to lock down Brisbane after a case of the more infectious British coronavirus strain was confirmed in the city.

“This isn’t any ordinary case. This is a very special case and one that requires us to treat things quite differently until we know more,” he said.

Victorians planning to go to Queensland in coming days have been urged to cancel.

Premier Daniel Andrews said there was a degree of confidence around the Brisbane situation because the lockdown had been limited to the city and not the entire state.

There was a feeling of relief for travellers who touched down in Melbourne Airport from Brisbane on Friday.

Brisbane couple Teagan Lowe and Darcy Andrews said they felt “incredibly lucky” to make it to Melbourne.

“It was crazy. Our flight was at 8.50am and we got the news at 8.30am that Brisbane was going into lockdown,” Mr Andrews, 35, said.

Sam Walters, 37, was glad to make it back to Melbourne after spending Christmas in Queensland.

“There were announcements made on the flight about protocols, like that it was mandatory to wear a mask in Victoria, but there was no one at the gate,” he said.

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