No word on extension but ‘not good signs’: Andrews

The Victorian Premier has refused to confirm if he will extend Melbourne’s lockdown beyond Thursday night, but conceded it is not looking good.

Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Paul Jeffers

Daniel Andrews has refused to confirm if he will extend Melbourne’s lockdown beyond Thursday night, but conceded the number and nature of recent Covid cases are “not good signs”.

The Victorian Premier’s comments came as the state recorded 25 new cases on Sunday, with the total number of mystery cases since August 4 now at 10.

Of 182 cases linked to Victorian outbreaks since that date, 116, or 63 per cent, have been in the community while infectious, including 13 of Sunday’s cases.

“These case numbers are too high, there are too many questions that are unanswered as part of these cases, there are too many people who are making poor choices and doing their own thing and thinking that the rules don’t apply to them,” Mr Andrews said.

“I am not announcing Thursday’s announcements today. Today is Sunday, and I don’t know what our position will be on Thursday, but these are not good signs, that’s why we all need to work together, and … follow these rules, because it’s our way out.”

As of Sunday, Victoria had 185 active cases, including four people in hospital, one of whom was in intensive care. The list of ­exposure sites topped 500 across Melbourne, with more than 13,000 primary close contacts identified and quarantined.

Of Sunday’s 25 new cases, 10 were spread across three households linked to Al-Taqwa College in Truganina, seven linked to the more recent outbreak at Glenroy West Primary School and three linked to the CS Square shopping centre outbreak in Caroline Springs. One new case is a social contact of a mystery case in a person from bayside Middle Park.

A case in a construction worker who lives in West Footscray is yet to be linked to any others.

Sunday’s final mystery cases involved a mother and her adult son from East St Kilda.