Victoria records four new local Covid-19 cases as state plunged into sixth lockdown

A major inner city hospital in Melbourne has been named as a Covid exposure site after Victoria announced four new local cases.

A major inner city hospital in Melbourne has been named as a Covid exposure site, after a cleaner tested positive to the virus.

The cleaner, who tested positive overnight, worked in consulting rooms on level 6 and eight of the Epworth Hospital in Richmond.

In a statement, hospital CEO Lachlan Henderson said the contractor was cleaning the building after business hours.

“This contractor cleans several floors within the Centre, after business hours,” Dr Henderson said.

“Epworth, in its pandemic planning, has prepared for this scenario and we have enacted a range of comprehensive safety precautions.

“We are already working with the tenants who may be impacted and the Department of Health, following all necessary protocols and processes.”

The Epworth Hospital in Richmond has been listed as an exposure site. Picture: AAP Image/James Ross.

Vicrtoria recorded four new locally acquired Covid-19 infections on Friday and entered the first day of a snap lockdown.

The state’s health department announced six new local cases about 8.30am, but two of those were previously revealed on Thursday afternoon.

The health department said the six cases were all linked to previously reported cases but were not in quarantine during their infectious period.

The virus crisis rapidly escalated in the past 24 hours as the state was plunged into a record sixth lockdown over three mystery infections.

The new lockdown comes just nine days after the last one was lifted but Premier Daniel Andrews said authorities had to act fast to stop the spread of the Delta variant.

Premier Daniel Andrews has locked down Victoria for the sixth time. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Nicki Connolly

As of 8pm on Thursday, there are only five reasons Victorians can leave their home – shopping for essential goods and services, work or study if it can’t be done at home, caregiving, exercise for up to two hours a days and to get vaccinated.

The 5km travel limit is also back in force and face masks remain mandatory in all settings.

“We only get one chance to act fast, only one chance to make difficult decisions that are the right decision,” Mr Andrews said.

“I would prefer to wait two or three days, I would prefer we didn’t have to make this decision now.”

No new cases were recorded in hotel quarantine on Friday, with the number of active case in the state at 75 – down from 80 on Thursday.

Almost 2500 staff, students, families and visitors who visited Al-Taqwa College in Truganina on July 28, 29 and 30 have been ordered to get tested immediately and quarantine for 14 days after a teacher tested positive.

There have also been new Covid-19 wastewater detections in Melbourne’s northwest and in regional Victoria.

Cars queue for Covid-19 testing. Picture: NCA NewsWire/Jeremy Piper

The health department said there had been strong and increasing levels of virus fragments detected in multiple wastewater samples in the Attwood, Broadmeadows, Campbellfield, Coolaroo, Essendon Fields, Gladstone Park, Glenroy, Gowanbrae, Greenvale, Jacana, Meadows Heights, Oak Park, Pascoe Vale, Roxburgh Park, Somerton, Strathmore, Strathmore Heights, Tullamarine and Westmeadows catchment area.

Anyone who lives, works or has visited the affected suburbs between July 28 and August 4 has been urged to watch for the slightest Covid-19 symptoms and get tested as soon as possible if they develop.

There was also a positive detection of Covid-19 fragments in East Wangaratta, Laceby, Milawa, North Wangaratta, Oxley, Waldara, Wangandary, Wangaratta and Wangaratta South.

Anyone who lives, works or has visited the Wangaratta area from July 28 to 30 has been urged to get tested if Covid-19 symptoms develop.

The health department said the detections “may be due to someone who has had Covid-19, is no longer infectious and is continuing to shed the virus – or it may be due to an active but undiagnosed case in that area”.