Shrine superspreader fears, as Victoria Police crack down
An illegal protest staged at the Shrine of Remembrance could turn out to be a superspreading event, after a person who attended was hospitalised after contracting the virus.
An illegal protest staged at Melbourne’s Shrine of Remembrance could turn out to be a Covid-19 superspreading event, after authorities said a person who attended the demonstration was hospitalised after contracting the virus.
A department of health spokesperson said an investigation was under way.
“We are urging protesters to get tested should they experience Covid-like symptoms, no matter how mild,” they said.
The positive test result came after authorities were forced to close down a Covid-19 vaccine hub on Thursday, after abusive protesters who attended the same rally spat at and threatened vaccine staff in the CBD.
The city-based Melbourne Town Hall vaccine hub and Central City homelessness service – both run by Cohealth – had to be closed until Monday after their staff were spat on, had liquid thrown at them and were sworn at by anti-vaccination demonstrators earlier in the week.
Cohealth chief executive Nicole Bartholomeusz said employees were told not to wear their uniform while travelling to work.
“I am distressed to report that there have been several incidents of Cohealth health workers in the city being physically and verbally abused while on their way to work, targeted because they were wearing their Cohealth identification,” she said.
“Due to the increasingly violent and unpredictable nature of the protests in the city, we have made the difficult decision to close the Cohealth Melbourne Town Hall vaccination centre as well as our Central City homelessness service, and our street-based outreach services, until Monday.”
The decision will mean hundreds of people per day will miss out on the opportunity to be vaccinated against Covid-19, and vulnerable people will not be able to access free homelessness services.
Despite claims by construction workers and anti-jab protesters that they would wreak havoc on the city “every day”, the mass numbers seen earlier in the week failed to materialise on Thursday.
With no clear plan or leader, protesters bickered over what location they should meet at on encrypted messaging apps. St Kilda beach (south of the city) and Carlton Gardens (north of the city) were tossed around, but no action eventuated at either location.
There was a heavy police presence around the CFMEU headquarters, where the original protest kicked off on Monday after construction workers rallied against mandatory vaccines to enter work sites.
Over the week, protests have become violent at times and police have been forced on multiple occasions to fire rubber bullets and set off smoke bombs to disperse angry crowds.
In one case, Victoria Police commissioner Shane Patton said an internal investigation would be conducted after footage emerged online in which a man is forcefully thrown to the ground by officers at Flinders Street station.
“We’ll investigate it with an open mind and look at it to determine whether they’ve acted appropriately,” he told 3AW radio.
At least 50 police, including the mounted branch, were also stationed outside the Melbourne Museum over fears demonstrators could target people who had booked in to get their Covid-19 vaccine at the hub.
It’s not clear if protesters will try to gather on Friday, but police have vowed to quash any activity that threatens public safety.
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