Coronavirus: New Melbourne cluster tied to butcher’s shop and suburban household

A new coronavirus cluster has emerged in Melbourne’s southeastern suburbs linked to a butcher’s shop at the Chadstone shopping centre and a household in Frankston.

Chadstone Shopping Centre in Melbourne. Picture: Ian Currie

A new coronavirus cluster has emerged in Melbourne’s southeastern suburbs linked to a butcher’s shop at the Chadstone shopping centre and a household in Frankston, as stubborn chains of infection linked to essential workers and aged-care facilities see the fall in Victoria’s new daily case numbers plateau.

There were 15 new cases of coronavirus in Victoria in the 24 hours to Thursday — seeing the state’s seven-day average increase from 12 on Tuesday and 11.7 on Wednesday to 12.1 on Thursday.

The 15 cases were also only a fraction lower than Melbourne’s 14 day daily average of 15.6 for Thursday.

The higher number of new cases came as two deaths reported in the 24 hours to Thursday saw Victoria reach the grim milestone of 800 coronavirus deaths, all but 19 of which have been linked to breaches in the Andrews government’s hotel quarantine program.

Four of Victoria’s 15 new coronavirus cases on Thursday were linked to The Butcher Club at Chadstone, while another three were linked to aged-care facilities and the remaining eight are under investigation.

A total of eight cases, including two of Wednesday’s new cases, have now been linked to the Chadstone cluster, which Deputy Chief Health Officer Allen Cheng said was also linked to a household in Frankston in Melbourne’s outer southeast.

The Department of Health and Human Services says a staff member who has since tested positive for the virus worked at The Butcher Club from 6am to 6pm from Wednesday to Saturday last week inclusive.

Nearby public toilets at Melbourne’s largest shopping centre have been listed as a “high-risk” location, as has the Coles supermarket at Chadstone, where a customer who has tested positive attended for about 15 minutes on Sunday.

Also added to the list on Thursday were Chadstone Aldi, after a customer shopped there for an hour between 8 and 9am on September 19, almost a fortnight ago, and Chadstone Woolworths, for the same time period. “At Frankston, there is an outbreak that involves a household that is being supported to isolate,” Professor Cheng said. “I think it is about eight or nine people in the household. One of the members works at Chadstone.

“The staff have been contact traced and cleaning has occurred, so it is perfectly safe to go back into Chadstone.

“There has been a case that has worked there from 23rd to 28th September, so any people who have been into that area over that time, if they have the slightest symptoms, please come forward to be tested.”

Chemist Warehouse in Toorak Road, Burwood, also in the southeastern suburbs, was added to the “high-risk” list on Thursday after a customer visited on September 20 about 4pm, as have Hedgeley Dene Gardens in Malvern East after a person there between 10:30am and 11:30am on Sunday tested positive for the virus.

Professor Cheng said 19 unknown source cases in the fortnight to September 28 had been spread across 14 local government areas.