Covid regional Victoria: Latest coronavirus situation as lockdown extended

As the financial cost of another seven days in lockdown for the regions is revealed, we look at how the Covid-19 situation is playing out.

Victoria’s five-day lockdown has been extended by seven days – now due to end at midnight next Tuesday.

Hopes areas in regional Victoria would get out of the five-day lockdown – estimated to cost the regional visitor economy about $150 million – early were crushed this week as exposure sites in regional Victoria grew.

There are multiple exposure sites on and around Phillip Island and in Mildura, as well as sites at Wycheproof, Ravenswood, Bacchus Marsh, Barwon Heads, Waurn Ponds, Kalkallo and Ballan.

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Mildura, which hadn’t had a Covid-19 case since March last year, has two positive cases.

“Around a third of all our primary close contacts are in regional Victoria, right across regional Victoria,” Victoria’s chief health officer Brett Sutton said.

“This outbreak has touched the whole state in a way that the Delta and Kappa outbreaks didn’t do back in May and June.”

The line for a drive through Covid-19 testing site in Mildura on Monday. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Darren Seiler

Victoria’s Covid-19 commander Jeroen Weimar said the Phillip Island outbreak had five cases, all in one social group.

“Encouragingly, we’ve not seen any spread out into the wider community at this point in time but I should point out we have had some wastewater detects at Phillip Island,” he said.

“I would encourage again the Phillip Island community, any concerns, if you’ve been to the

numerous exposure sites on Phillip Island, please come forward and get tested.”

There are 85 active local Covid-19 cases in Victoria. Thirteen new locally-acquired cases, four of which were announced Monday, have been reported overnight.

Victorian Chamber of Commerce and Industry chief executive Paul Guerra – who estimates the extra seven days to cost the regional Victoria economy another $150 million – said the news of an extended lockdown was devastating.

“Five days has turned into 12 days for lockdown five, right off the back of lockdown four,” he said.

“Businesses and workers do not have the cash or emotional reserves for further restrictions on trade and work.

“Governments need to find a way for cash to flow and correctly compensate for their losses. “Businesses understand the need to protect public health, but they can’t keep bearing the disproportionate cost of lockdowns.”

South Australia will also enter a seven-day lockdown at 6pm, after it recorded a fifth case of Covid-19.

It comes after the state reduced the size of its border bubbles with NSW and Victoria, and introduced the rule that people who have travelled from the Mildura Local Government Area since July 11 would be required to quarantine for 14 days since arrival in SA and will be required to be tested for Covid-19 on days one, five and 13.

NSW recorded 78 new cases overnight, including 27 that were infectious in the community.