Coronavirus Australia: Melbourne COVID-19 cluster could derail roadmap

A growing coronavirus cluster in the city‘s south-east is threatening to derail Melbourne’s strict roadmap out of COVID-19 lockdown.

A person is tested for COVID19 at a pop-up test site in Hallam, Melbourne, Victoria. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Daniel Pockett

An alarming virus cluster is threatening to derail Melbourne‘s roadmap out of lockdown.

There are growing concerns about an outbreak in the city‘s southeast, which now affects the suburbs of Hallam, Clyde, Narre Warren South and Cranbourne North in the Casey and Dandenong local government areas.

So far, there are 34 cases across five households in the area, with three people admitted to hospital.

Victoria’s COVID-19 testing commander Jeroen Weimar said on Friday that members of those households were visiting relatives when they shouldn’t have been.

“We’ve also seen in this particular cluster visiting of houses beyond the 5km radius, so these five houses in this particular cluster have had, unfortunately, some members of those households visiting other households and it is that limited amount of contact, relatively infrequent contact between these five households that has now meant that we have 34 people in five houses experiencing or living with a very real threat of the coronavirus,” he said.

Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews said it was “disappointing” to see families ignoring the rules.

“The rules are in place for a reason and anyone who undermines this, undermines entire strategy and it means the rules will be on longer,” he said.

While Victoria‘s COVID-19 cases have been dropping, there are fears the current outbreak could threaten the state’s staged easing of restrictions.