Victoria announces eight new cases of coronavirus

Victoria has announced eight new local cases of Covid-19 today, with concerns growing about the spread from Sydney.

Victoria has revealed eight new cases of coronavirus on Wednesday, with a major Melbourne shopping centre and an AFL game potential points of exposure.

Authorities confirmed seven cases were linked to a returned family and a crew of removalists, who both came into the state from NSW.

One locally acquired case was initially announced on Wednesday before a press conference at 11.30am where the additional cases were also revealed.

Victorian Covid-19 testing head Jeroen Weimar confirmed four of the new cases were from the Ariele apartments complex in two separate apartments on the same floor the removalists were working on.

A resident, a man in his 60s, and his elderly parents all tested positive to the virus as a result.

A further three people in a second apartment also tested positive.

The case announced earlier on Wednesday is a fourth family member of the City of Hume family, who all tested positive after travelling from NSW to Victoria on a red travel permit.

“I appreciate this is concerning news,” Mr Weimar said.

“This is clearly a very rapidly moving situation, and we’re very keen to make sure we get a very firm grip of this as soon as we possibly can.”

Highpoint shopping centre has emerged as an exposure site, with anyone who attended between on Friday between 10am and 2pm urged to get tested.

More than 2000 people who attended an MCG match between Carlton and Geelong on July 10 are also on alert after the game was attended by an infected person.

They were in level two of the MCC reserves, which will be deemed a tier two site.

A number of people identified as sitting close to the infected individual will be regarded as tier one exposures.

Those potentially exposed will be contacted directly, based on the ticketing information and the CCTV information drawn from the MCG over thecoming hours, Mr Weimar said.

Others who attended the ground would be regarded as tier three exposures and they are being asked to monitor for symptoms and come forward and get tested.

An entire apartment complex in Melbourne’s west was plunged into lockdown on Monday after the removalists visited the building. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Nicki Connolly

“If you’re not sure if you were at the ground, if you were at that game, and if you’re not sure whether you went into the members reserve, if you’ve got any doubts at all, then just forward and get tested, it’s no regrets thing,” Mr Weimar said.

There were three initial cases earlier this week, that leaked in from NSW.

A crew of infectious removalists from Sydney transited through Victoria last Thursday, visiting households in Craigieburn and Maribyrnong, and coming into contact with two families of four.

Mr Weimar said the removalists were not wearing masks, in breach in their permits allowing them to come into Victoria.

The complex in Melbourne’s west was plunged into lockdown on Monday, with authorities revealing the crew spent up to five hours moving furniture into the building and shared lifts with residents.

The removalists also visited sites in Ballan and Broadmeadows before driving to South Australia and then returning to NSW, where they tested positive to Covid-19.

Victoria's Covid-19 testing commander Jeroen Weimar said the new cases were detected this morning.. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Ian Currie

Two members of a family in the city’s northwest have also tested positive for Covid-19 after returning from NSW.

Victoria now has 19 active coronavirus cases.