Coronavirus: Two new cases in McDonald’s cluster in Melbourne

A McDonald’s restaurant in Melbourne’s north has now been linked to six cases of coronavirus.

McDonald’s in Fawkner in Melbourne’s north. Picture: Wayne Taylor

A McDonald’s restaurant in Melbourne’s north that was allowed to remain open for 24 hours after a worker tested positive to COVID-19 has now been linked to six cases of coronavirus.

The growing Fawkner McDonald’s cluster has prompted further questions about the Victorian Department of Health and Human Services’ contact tracing practices in the wake of the outbreak at Melbourne abattoir Cedar Meats, which is linked to 88 COVID-19 cases and is the subject of a WorkSafe investigation.

The DHHS confirmed on Wednesday that two new cases had been detected as part of the ­McDonald’s cluster in the past 24 hours, bringing the total to six, with 92 employees now having been tested as a precaution.

The first Fawkner McDonald’s case was confirmed last Thursday, but the restaurant was not closed until a second linked case was identified the following day.

On Friday, the DHHS said it had not closed the restaurant after the first worker’s diagnosis because the staff member “had not attended work while infectious”.

The worker had last worked at the restaurant on April 30, a week before the positive test result.

It is not known exactly when the worker was tested. Victorians are warned they may need to wait six days for COVID-19 test results, meaning the test may have been conducted much earlier than seven days after April 30.

The World Health Organisation says the incubation period for COVID-19 is up to 14 days.

TheFawkner McDonald’s reopened on Wednesday with staff from other outlets owned by the chain, following what the DHHS described as a “deep clean”.

“All close contacts of confirmed cases have been contacted by the department and will remain in quarantine for 14 days,” it said.

Thenew cases came as WorkSafe launched an investigation into ­social distancing and whether workers were provided with appropriate personal protective equipment at Cedar Meats.

The statutory occupational health and safety authority also has the power to investigate the adequacy of communication between the DHHS and the abattoir.

WorkSafe’s investigation comes after Victorian Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton told the Victorian parliament’s public accounts and estimates committee’s coronavirus inquiry earlier this week that the DHHS had not initially alerted colleagues of a Cedar Meats worker diagnosed with COVID-19 on April 24 to warn them to isolate and get tested because the worker told them he had “no close contacts” due to not working in proximity to others at the Melbourne abattoir.

This was despite the worker having worked in the abattoir’s boning room, to which dozens of cases have since been linked.