New restrictions across Melbourne as the COVID-19 cluster grows

New restrictions are in place across Greater Melbourne to fight the city’s COVID-19 cluster, with one particularly tough rule placed on workers.

A raft of new restrictions have been introduced across Melbourne as Victoria’s new COVID-19 cluster continues to grow.

On Tuesday health authorities revealed five new COVID-19 cases had been discovered, bringing the total number of infections in the cluster to nine.

As a result a raft of new restrictions were introduced across Melbourne from 6pm on Tuesday, including:

• Limiting private household gatherings to five people per day

• Limiting public gatherings to 30 people

• Masks will be required indoors for everyone aged 12 and over — even in workplaces — unless an exemption applies.

Other places masks must be worn include shopping centres, supermarkets, retail stories, hospitals, aged care facilities, restaurants and cafes when not eating or drinking, libraries, cinemas, places of worship, entertainment facilities, recreational facilities and gyms (exemption applies when doing strenuous exercise), on public transport, at airports and in aircraft.

It’s 6pm in #melbourne, and masks in the office aren’t that bad… (could I pass as a surgeon?). Let’s hope this is under control in a few days, and we can get some more vaccines in the arm of under 50’s! #COVID19Aus#COVID19pic.twitter.com/sUqRB6ULxc

— Jonathan Steffanoni (@jsteffanoni) May 25, 2021

Authorities expect the restrictions to be in place until at least June 4 but they will be reviewed throughout this period.

Victoria’s Acting Premier James Merlino said Victorians who live in Greater Melbourne will still be able to travel to regional parts of the state but must continue to follow the restrictions wherever they visit.

“For example, if you visit someone outside metropolitan Melbourne, they must have not more than five visitors at that house in that day,” he said.

“Victorians visiting regional Victoria from Melbourne will also need to wear a face mask when indoors, even when outside metropolitan Melbourne, unless an exemption applies.”

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A raft of new restrictions are being brought in across Melbourne as the city’s new COVID-19 cluster continues to grow. Picture: William West/AFP

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Mr Merlino said the restrictions are being brought in based on public health advice and will allow contact tracers time to “get on top” of the outbreak.

One of the cases discovered yesterday, a man in his 60s, is believed to be earliest known infection in this cluster.

The man developed symptoms on May 17, with authorities believing he may have been infectious for almost 10 days before presenting for testing.

Four family contacts of the man have since tested positive and he is also believed to have transmitted the virus to the first person discovered in the Melbourne cluster, a man in his 30s.

That man then passed the virus on to three close family contacts spread across two households in Whittlesea, including a man in his 70s, a woman in her 70s and a preschool-aged child.

Everyone in the new cluster has been confirmed as having the Indian variant of the virus.

Genomic testing has found the new infections are “closely linked” to a case from a few weeks ago that originated in South Australia.

Earlier in the month a man tested positive to the virus after becoming infected while undergoing hotel quarantine in South Australia and then flying into Melbourne and returning to his home in Wollert.

Health authorities believe there could be a “missing link” between this case and the new cluster, though so far none of the new cases have been found to be linked to any exposure sites from the Wollert case.

Victoria was due to further ease restrictions around density limits for venues on May 28 but those will be paused in light of the new cluster.

List of COVID-19 exposure sites grow

Multiple locations have been added to the list of sites visited by confirmed COVID-19 cases during their infectious periods.

A late night alert from Victorian health authorities sparked concerns thousands may have been exposed to the virus after a positive case attended the Collingwood/Port Adelaide game at the MCG on May 23.

People seated in Zone 4, Level 1, those with a bay between M1 & M16 on their match ticket, will be contacted directly with advice to get tested & isolate until negative. You can see the seating map here.

Some other individuals will be contacted directly by the Department of Health with specific advice while others attending who were not located in the areas of concerns are advised to check for symptoms and get tested if any develop.

The following locations are considered Tier 1 exposure sites, meaning anyone who visited the venue at the time listed must immediately get tested and quarantine for 14 days from the date of exposure.

• Jump! Swim School, Bundoora on May 21 from 8.55am-10.15am.

• Nando’s, Epping on May 19 from 8.30pm-9.20pm

• Woolworths, Epping North on May 22 from 4.45pm-5.45pm

• Axedale Tavern, Axeldale on May 23 from 11.45am-1.30pm

• McDonald’s, Clifton Hill on May 22 from 6pm-7pm

• The Nicholson Coffee House, Coburg on May 22 from 12pm-1pm

• The Furniture Trader, Epping on May 18 from 12pm-12.50pm

• JMD Grocers & Sweets, Epping on May 12 from 10.30am-1pm

• Woolworths, Epping on May 20 from 6.35pm-7.15pm

• Coles, Epping on May 20 from 6.45pm-7.35pm

• Secco and Co, Fitzroy North on May 22 from 7.35pm-8.55pm

• Smiggle, Highpoint Shopping Centre, Maribyrnong on May 20 from 5.55pm-6.30pm

• Kidstuff, Highpoint Shopping Centre, Maribyrnong on May 20 from 5.20pm-5.55pm

• Ishka, Highpoint Shopping Centre, Maribyrnong on May 20 from 5.45pm-6.20pm

• Lush Cosmetics, Highpoint Shopping Centre, Maribyrnong on May 20 from 6.05pm-6.35pm

• Toyworld, Highpoint Shopping Centre, Maribyrnong on May 20 from 5.30pm-6.20pm

• Bamboo House, Melbourne on May 21 from 11am-11.50am

• Port Park Cafe, Port Melbourne on May 24 from 12.30pm-1pm

• The Local, Port Melbourne on May 21 from 1.40pm-3.30pm

• Bay 101 Cafe, Port Melbourne on May 24 from 7.30am-8.20am

• Little Tienda, Thornbury on May 22 from 7.45am-8.20am

The following locations are considered Tier 2 exposure sites, meaning anyone who visited the site at the time listed should urgently get tested for COVID-19 and isolate until they receive a negative result.

• Futsal Brunswick, Brunswick on May 23 from 9am-10am

• Epping North Shopping Centre, Epping on May 22 from 4.45pm-5.50pm

• House and Party, Epping on May 22 from 5.15pm-5.50pm

• Urban Diner Food Court, Pacific Epping Shopping Centre, Epping on May 23 from 1.15pm-2.30pm

• Shell Coles Express, Reservoir on May 18 from 3.15pm-4.15pm

• B.T. Connor Reserve, Reservoir on May 21 from 8pm-11.30pm

• Hairfolk, Bendigo on May 22 from 9.40am-10.10am

• BP Southvale, Coburg on May 22 from 8.10am-8.30am

• Chemist Warehouse, Dalton Village, Epping on May 19 from 6.45pm-8pm

• ALDI, Epping on May 23 from 6pm-7.30pm

• Chemist Depot Epping, Pacific Epping Shoping Centre, Epping on May 23 from 11.15am-12pm

• Deep Indian Supermarket, Lalor on May 20 from 7pm-8.30pm

• Fruits of Lalor, Lalor on May 19 from 12pm-1pm

• No. 1 Fruit Market, Laolor on May 19 from 12pm-1pm

• Everfresh Fruit Market, Lalor on May 19 from 12pm-1pm

• Highpoint Shopping Centre -all other areas on Levels 2 and 3 excluding specific shops listed as Tier 1 sites, Maribyrnong on May 20 from 5.15pm-6.35pm

• Adams Reserve Playground, Preston on May 23 from 2.15pm-3.45pm

• ALDI Preston South, Preston on May 23 from 3.45pm-4.25pm

• P&C Indian Grocery & Convenience Store, Reservoir on May 22 from 6pm-7pm

• ACTROL, Thomastown on May 17 from 12pm-1.30pm

• White Line Automotive, Thomastown on May 20 from 12pm-1.30pm

‘Chains of transmission’ emerging

Chief health officer Professor Brett Sutton said there are “chains of transmission” playing out with these new COVID-19 cases.

However, he warned there was “clearly someone who was not identified” through recent contact tracing interviews, possibly because they were a casual contact.

“That is why I flagged public transport is a risk if you are on a packed carriage you do not know who you stand next to and you may be next to an infectious person,” he said.

“I ask everyone to go back to those exposure sites on the website and, indeed, if they are going out for any gatherings, within limits from today and with 6pm restrictions in mind, go back to those exposure sites. If you have been to one of them, you should not go anywhere you should be tested.”

Professor Sutton said the fifth case in the cluster “might be the missing link” authorities have been looking for as the interview process is still ongoing.

“His initial recollections do not overlap with any of the wallet exposure sites, so there is no definitive link to that wallet sites even though we know there is a genomic link,” he said.

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Victorian Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton speaks during a press conference. Picture: Asanka Ratnayake/Getty Images

It follows the revelation that one of the cases announced on Monday was “likely quite infectious”.

Professor Brett Sutton warned Melbourne residents on Monday “we have to ready ourselves” in case more positive cases are detected within the community.

“The viral load was high and with close contacts becoming positive, he is likely to be quite infectious,” Professor Sutton said.

“There (was) not a huge number of close contacts but we have to go through the interview process to identify anyone else.

“We have to ready ourselves for any other positives and when there are close contacts who do become positive, that raises the possibility that even a casual contact could become positive as well.”