Coronavirus Australia: Victorian man’s family tests positive after NSW travel
Urgent genomic testing is underway on the family of a Victorian man who have all tested positive after travelling to NSW.
The family of a Victorian man who tested positive for Covid-19 after travelling to NSW have also contracted the virus.
Victorian chief health officer Brett Sutton on Wednesday confirmed the spouse and two children of the man, who visited several areas on May 23 and 24, have since tested positive for the virus as health authorities reported six new locally-acquired cases of Covid-19 in Victoria.
North Melbourne Primary School, just 3km north of the CBD, where the children are students has since closed, with the school confirming authroties were investigating any potential spread of the virus there.
“While the Department of Health conducts its investigation, staff and students are also asked to stay home and limit their movements until advised otherwise,” read a letter sent to parents and carers of the school’s students.
“Students should avoid public places and only leave home for brief periods for necessary activities.”
Professor Sutton confirmed that it was not yet clear which family member had contracted the virus first.
“Contact tracing is underway, and we are still investigating who the index case or first case might be in this family, and indeed how they have acquired it,” he said.
“That’s not absolutely clear at this stage because there is no crossover with known exposure sites from the initial interview.”
Victoria Covid-19 Testing Commander Jeroen Weimar has described the family as a mystery infection.
“We have our mystery case – the family of four Victorians who have just returned from New South Wales,” he said.
“We’re of course trying to identify what their connections have been. We expect to get genomics, as Brett has said, hopefully late tonight or tomorrow morning. That, of course, will help us to tie into the wider outbreak, and we’ll continue to work around contact tracing for that family.”
The man visited venues in Jervis Bay, Goulburn, Hyams Beach and Vincentia while potentially infectious on May 23 and 24.
Several businesses including Cooked Goose, in Hyams Beach, and Trapper’s Bakery, in Goulburn, have been put into lockdown, sending all staff into a 14-day quarantine and closing the stores for deep cleaning.
NSW has reported no new cases of Covid-19 in the 24 hours to 8pm, however the health department is scrambling to extend resources, issue warnings and tests to those who have come into contact with the Victorian man.
“Sixty-four close contacts in NSW have now returned negative results. These people will continue to isolate for 14 days from their exposure date and will be tested again before the end of their isolation period,” NSW Health said.
Testing clinics in southern NSW have had their opening hours extended and a mobile testing unit was deployed to Huskisson, with a drive through clinic at the back of local club Husky Sports Club at 336 Huskisson Rd.
Victoria has today extended its lockdown by another seven days.
More Coverage
ACT may as well not ‘bother with democracy’: Carnell
Former Liberal ACT chief minister Kate Carnell has lashed out after Labor won a seventh term in the nation’s capital and the Liberal Party confronts 27 years in opposition.
World-first spinal trial offers hope to paralysed
Australian scientists will launch an ambitious bid to restore movement in patients with paralysis by surgically implanting a patient’s own cells into the site of their spinal cord injury.