Three new local Covid cases overnight; Footy crowds to return in Geelong amid eased restrictions

The Andrews government has been slammed for showing no consistency with Covid restrictions as fans gear up to return to the footy.

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This story was published on Wednesday, June 16. Click here for Thursday’s rolling Covid coverage.

Melbourne is set to be hit with a slew of eased restrictions, including a return of home visitors and the removal of the 25km bubble.

Public gatherings will increase to 20 people, masks will no longer be required outdoors and offices can have 50 per cent of workers return or up to 20 people, whichever is greater.

Gyms, indoor entertainment venues and electronic gaming venues can also reopen.

Regional Victoria’s restrictions will also ease further, with public gatherings will be increased to 50 people.

Restaurants and cafes can open to a maximum of 300 patrons for seated service. Smaller venues can host up to 25 people before any density quotient applies.

Religious ceremonies will be capped at 300 and funerals are limited to 100 people, weddings will be limited to 50.

Workplace caps increased to 75 per cent or 30 people, whichever is greater.

Visitors to the home limited to five adults a day, plus dependents.

The Herald Sun understands there will be a limited crowd at the Geelong v Bulldogs game following public health advice it would be safe to do so.

Cabinet met this morning to sign off on the changes, understood to come into affect from Friday.

It is not clear if crowds will be given the go ahead to attend other matches.

Other changes considered at this morning’s meeting mirrored restrictions introduced to regional Victoria several weeks ago.

It comes as health authorities identified Myer on Bourke Street as a tier two exposure site on Wednesday.

Anyone who visited the department store between 2.45pm and 3.15pm on June 13 must get tested and isolate until they return a negative result.

The ground level to level five of the department store are classified as part of the exposure site.

To read more on the restrictions set to be eased, click here.

CROWDS RETURN TO FOOTY

Crowds will make a welcome return to the footy in Geelong, after the Victorian government agreed to let 7000 fans into Cats’ Friday night blockbuster.

The move also sparked fresh optimism for those desperate to return to the MCG and Marvel Stadium for four highly-anticipated matches next week.

The state government on Wednesday revealed eased coronavirus restrictions would allow GMHBA Stadium to fill to 20 per cent capacity for the Geelong-Western Bulldogs clash, with spectators restricted to those who are local residents and club members.

Privately, there were hopes that health authorities would sign off on a larger crowd, given the clash is in a regional town where there has been no cases of coronavirus for several months.

“While we would always like the crowd to be bigger, we understand that public health and safety comes first,” the Cats said in a statement.

The AFL said it would “continue to work with and be led by state governments on crowds” for upcoming rounds.

Fans will return to GMHBA Stadium on Friday.

“We’ll work with the AFL and the clubs to allow a crowd of up to 7000 people from the region (to attend the Cats-Dogs clash on Friday night),” Acting Premier James Merlino said on Thursday.

“So Colac, Otway, City of Greater Geelong, Queenscliff and the Surf Coast to attend at Kardinia Park, provided they are members of the two clubs so we can keep a very tight record of two attends.”

The health department later confirmed Golden Plains residents were also permitted.

Geelong Football Club chief executive Brian Cook said the cap would result in at least a $300,000 loss and “more than likely a bit more”.

The loss would stem from areas including food and beverages and casual attendees.

However, Mr Cook said the move to welcome some fans was “a good start”.

“It presents challenges in terms of who we give priority to,” he said.

“It’s bittersweet – sweet we have a crowd and bitter we can’t get more than 7000.”

Geelong fan Brad Cole said his family was hoping to get to the game as they waited for news on how the limited ticketing arrangements would work.

“Everybody missed a lot of footy last year,” he said.

“To have the chance to get back to the game will be great if we’re allowed to.”

Polwarth MP Richard Riordan said the crowd cap should be higher than 7000.

“Every time we have a lockdown (the government) gets a different rule book out,” he said.

“Increasingly there’s growing anxiety (that) there’s no consistency in what they’re doing.”

A Victorian health department spokesman said the restrictions were intended to limit the risk of any Covid spread through the rest of Victoria and limit any potential spread from Melbourne into Geelong.

The announcement provides hope that fans in Melbourne could receive good news next week when authorities evaluate restrictions again.

Round 15 is a big one for metropolitan Melbourne, with the MCG set to host Richmond-St Kilda on Friday night and Essendon-Melbourne on Saturday night.

The Saturday night blockbuster was expected to draw a monster crowd, given the Bombers were in blistering form before the bye and the Demons sit on top of the ladder.

Marvel Stadium is scheduled to host Collingwood-Fremantle and Carlton-Adelaide on Saturday and Sunday afternoons.

Metropolitan Melbourne has been about a week behind regional Victoria in the lifting of restrictions.

A 20 per cent capacity crowd next weekend would see a maximum of 60,000 Victorians attend across four games.

TESTING RULES FOR SNOWFIELDS VISITS

Melburnians hoping to visit regional ski resorts will have to present a negative Covid test before arrival.

Testing rules for Victoria’s snowfields will apply within the boundary of the state’s ski resort, where Melbourne visitors will be asked to show their Covid results text message.

“It relates to the fact that the industry has to be protected. We need to make sure there are no cases that go up on the mountain. Even though the number in Metro Melbourne, it may be tiny, a single case infectious on the mountain would be a potential superspreader event,” Prof Sutton said.

“It is essentially how it spread across Europe in March last year. It has been demonstrated in resorts like Aspen and other west coast, Canadian towns.

“Significant clusters have occurred because of those combinations that I have talked about — indoors, post-exertion, not wearing masks, being with strangers, and the combination of cold and humidity coming together.

“It makes a high-risk environment. It is a small thing to help manage that significant risk.”

‘CONCERN’ OVER NURSE’S POSITIVE RESULT

A nurse at Epping Private Hospital has tested positive to coronavirus after treating three elderly Covid patients from Arcare Maidstone.

She worked at the hospital on June 9 and 14, and is believed to have been infectious during the second shift.

Covid-19 commander Jeroen Weimar said the case was of concern to authorities.

Investigations are underway as to the woman’s movements.

MORE CASES AS VICTORIA LAUNCHES ONLINE BOOKING

Three new cases of coronavirus have emerged in the Victorian community overnight.

The infections are on top of two cases - linked to the Southbank townhouse cluster - that were announced on Tuesday.

The Department of Health revealed all new community cases have been linked to known and existing clusters.

Three more cases were detected in hotel quarantine, bringing the state’s total number of active cases to 55.

More than 17,500 tests were carried out on Tuesday, and just under 15,000 vaccines were administered.

It comes as Victoria finally launched an online vaccine booking system on Tuesday – four months after the jabs rollout began – but it triggered more confusion on day one.

Despite the state government reiterating that bookings for first Pfizer doses were suspended until at least the end of the week, many Victorians were still able to book appointments for the coming days on the site.

It comes as the blame game continues over the suspended rollout, with the state government accusing the commonwealth of winding back its supply.

Health Minister Martin Foley warned the state’s scheduled allocations would leave Victoria unable to continue vaccinating at current levels while fulfilling second-dose commitments.

“We can’t keep doing the first doses at this rate,” he said.

But federal government sources maintained supply was not the primary cause of Victoria’s vaccination rollout issues.
They said that the state government needed to match the booking system of other states to provide certainty about the timing of second-dose appointments.

Nurses arrive to check on tenants of the Southbank apartment complex. Picture: NCA NewsWire/Luis Ascui

Victoria’s vaccine booking system finally went live weeks after similar systems were put in place across the country.

But with bookings for the first Pfizer dose paused until the end of the week, many people were confused when they were able to secure appointments for as early as today. A Department of Health spokesman said it was not a technical glitch, but added: “There were some residual first-dose bookings left in the system for this coming week when the online portal launched. These bookings will be honoured.”

It followed mass confusion on Monday when people were turned away from vaccine hubs and others were warned of waits of up to a month to ­secure a first Pfizer dose.

People trying to book their second dose were told there would be a two-week delay.

Covid-19 response commander Jeroen Weimar on Tuesday reassured the public that a second Pfizer vaccine dose would be available for everyone who had received their first shot.

“There is no anxiety here. There is no fear here. People who have had their first Pfizer should be confident and calm, they will get their second Pfizer,” he said.

Victoria was the last state to introduce a online booking system.

The federal government is sending an extra 50,000 Pfizer doses to Victoria, on top of a 100,000-dose boost already planned for this month.

Mr Weimar added the state government was “hugely grateful” to receive the extra 50,000 doses. “They will all go into people’s arms in the next week or two,” he said.

Amid hopes of a further easing of restrictions being ­announced on Wednesday or Thursday this week, Victoria recorded two new cases of ­coronavirus in the community on Tuesday.

The latest cases were linked to a cluster at a Southbank apartment complex, which was last night in lockdown as health officials swarmed on the building to test all residents.

A male resident became the first to be identified as returning a positive test, on Saturday. There are now six positive cases linked to the cluster, including an infant.

Mr Foley would not be drawn on whether the cluster would impact any easing of restrictions, saying it would considered on a “day by day” basis.

Australian Council of Trade Unions secretary Sally McManus warned the slowdown of first Pfizer doses meant disability and aged-care workers were unable to be vaccinated.

People queue for their Covid jab at Sandown Racecourse. Picture: David Geraghty

“These workers were in the 1A priority group, which was meant to take six weeks to ­vaccinate, mostly through in-workplace vaccination programs. It’s June, the government has abandoned workplace vaccinations and now there are no shots available for anyone in that group under 50,” she said.

Over the past week, the state system has administered 92,000 doses of Pfizer and nearly 35,000 doses of AstraZeneca.

Next week, about 67,000 bookings have already been made for Pfizer, with approximately 58 per cent of those for the second dose.

“We must preserve space in the system for people to receive their second dose,” a state government source said.

A total of 385,000 Pfizer doses will be delivered to Victoria in June, all of which will be administered by state-run vaccination hubs.

In July, Victoria will receive 560,000 Pfizer doses.

SOUTH MELBOURNE MARKET CLOSED FOR CLEANING

A popular Melbourne market has been closed for deep cleaning after being listed as a Covid-19 public exposure site.

The South Melbourne Market confirmed it would be closed on Wednesday after the health department listed the complex as a tier 2 exposure site.

It comes after a coronavirus outbreak at a nearby townhouse and apartment complex in Southbank increased to at least six overnight.

South Melbourne Market management said in a statement on Facebook that a confirmed virus case visited the market last Saturday between 11.30am and 1.30pm.

“The safety of our traders, staff and community is our top priority and for this reason the Market will be closed (on Wednesday) so we can conduct a thorough deep clean,” they said.

Read the full version of this story, here.

Originally published as Three new local Covid cases overnight; Footy crowds to return in Geelong amid eased restrictions