Victoria Covid hotspots: Full list of venue alerts

Victorian authorities issue alert for a Thai restaurant as well as an exclusive golf club visited by the state’s first coronavirus cases in 61 days.

A golf club on the Mornington Peninsula has been added to the list of high-risk locations visited by potentially infectious COVID-19 cases in Victoria — the first outside of Melbourne since the two-month streak of no new local cases was broken.

Acting Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan has revealed that all three coronavirus cases in Melbourne announced yesterday dined at the Smile Buffalo Thai restaurant in Black Rock on December 21.

Anyone who visited the restaurant on that date is ordered to get tested for COVID-19 and isolate until they received a negative result.

Victorian health authorities have identified 52 close contacts of the three women who tested positive for COVID-19.

“Those close contacts are across a wide area of Melbourne,” Chief tester Jeroen Weimar said.

The three new cases reported today in Victoria are a part of the close contact group.

Mr Weimar said the large group of close contacts is a result of increased socialisation over the holidays.

The Smile Buffalo Thai restaurant in Black Rock.

The Royal Brighton Yacht Club in Melbourne’s bayside southeast has confirmed a coronavirus positive person visited their restaurant for lunch on Tuesday.

Although the venue is yet to be added to the Department of Health and Human Services’ list of public exposure sites, the restaurant’s general manager said early on Thursday afternoon DHHS had confirmed that the case sat outside between 12 noon and 2pm on Tuesday December 29, and did not use the club toilets or visit any other area of the club.

“The Club has had to close immediately to undergo deep cleaning and will be strictly following all Department of Health instructions,” restaurant management confirmed on the club’s Facebook page.

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“If you were in or around the club since the 29th you are advised to stay at home and seek guidance from the DHHS as to whether you need to isolate.”

An exclusive golf club on Victoria’s Mornington Peninsula was also listed among the state’s coronavirus exposure sites. Victoria’s Department of Health and Human Services has on Thursday listed the National Golf Club at Cape Schanck as an exposure site, with anyone who attended the course between 11:40am and 1:30pm a day ago on Wednesday December 30 ordered to get tested for COVID-19 and isolate until they receive a negative result.

The Cups Drive golf club wrote to members on Thursday morning, alerting them that a member who attended the golf course on Wednesday had tested positive for COVID-19.

“The member was in the clubhouse and golf shop between 11.38am and 11.42am and as far as we understand did not come in close contact with any other member,” the National Golf Club said in its letter to members.

Mr Weimar identified a number of exposure sites, including the Smile Buffalo Thai restaurant, and the Holy Family Parish Church in Doveton. It is thought a fellow diner at the restaurant had been a traveller from Sydney’s northern beaches. That person is being tested.

“Both of those facilities have good contact systems in place, we will be working with them over the coming hours to extract the information and contact the parishioners and congregation members of the church, and anyone who has dined at the cafe in that period of time,” he said.

“We expect the number of close contacts to continue to rise over the course of the next few days as we continue contact tracing work.”

Thousands of Melburnians are being told to isolate after a busy shopping centre and a popular beach were among the list of places visited by Victoria’s first local coronavirus cases in 61 days.

Two women in their 40s and a woman in her 70s were confirmed as positive infections on Wednesday putting an end to the state’s virus-free streak.

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Victoria’s Department of Health and Human Services worked through the night to carry out contact tracing and has put out urgent alerts for multiple venues and locations visited by the positive cases.

Anyone who has visited these locations must get tested immediately and isolate until they receive a negative result:

• National Golf Club at Cape Schanck between 11:40am and 1:30pm on Wednesday December 30
• Smile Buffalo Thai restaurant in Black Rock on December 21.
• Holy Family Parish Doveton Catholic Church, Doveton – December 26, 4pm-6pm
• Kmart, Big W, Target, Millers, King of Gifts and Lacoste at Fountain Gate Shopping Centre – December 26, 9-11am
• Century City Walk and Mocha Jo’s, Glen Waverley – December 28, 1.30-5pm
• Katialo restaurant, Eaton Mall in Oakleigh – December 28, 7-8.15pm
• Mentone/Parkdale Beach in Mentone – December 27, 10am-4.30pm

Victoria’s Commander of COVID-19 response Jeroen Weimar said the active cases were a “concern” but they were doing everything they could to limit the spread.

A Kmart at Fountain Gate Shopping Centre is one of the exposure sites.

“We have three cases that are self-isolating at home and are being supported and monitored by the Department of Health and Human Services,” he said.

“We have been in this position before and we are deploying our full outbreak approach around these cases. Extensive contact tracing is underway and as a result there are currently more than 40 primary close contacts that are being supported to isolate immediately.”