List of potential exposure sites grows as Melbourne braces for more COVID-19 cases
Victorian health authorities now have identified 10 exposure sites as they race to contain a Melbourne COVID-19 outbreak.
They hope genomic sequencing will establish the source of four new COVID-19 cases among a family in the city’s north.
Nando’s Epping and Woolworths Epping North joined Jump! Swim Schools Bundoora and Highpoint Shopping Centre as tier one sites, meaning anyone who who attended the “tier one” sites at specific times must get tested and isolate for 14 days.
New exposure sites linked to community cases of COVID-19 have been published.
See the full list here: https://t.co/SQ5trZH2NI
The sites are located in Epping, Reservoir and Brunswick, as well as Bundoora and Maribyrnong (Highpoint Shopping Centre) from earlier today. pic.twitter.com/XdrIUMUocP
— VicGovDH (@VicGovDH) May 24, 2021
Futsal Brunswick, Epping North Shopping Centre, House and Party at Epping, Urban Diner Food Court at Pacific Epping Shopping Centre, Shells Coles Express Reservoir and B.T. Connor Reserve are tier two sites – meaning affected people must get tested and isolate until they have a negative result.
The family cluster – involving a man in his 30s, a man in 70s, a woman in 70s and a pre-school aged child from three households in the Whittlesea area – emerged on Monday.
Health Minister Martin Foley said there was no indication the infections were linked to exposure sites visited by a Victorian man who contracted coronavirus in South Australian hotel quarantine.
The health department last week admitted it had listed the wrong supermarket as an exposure site during the outbreak earlier this month.
With the first Whittlesea man’s infectious period potentially starting on May 18, Mr Foley noted the COVID-infected returned traveller had already re-entered hotel quarantine well before then.
“We do not rule out the prospect that there is a link,” he said.
“The dates do not line up immediately so we cannot rule out if there is a missing link out there.”
Genomic sequencing results may establish if there is a link between the pair, and are expected back as early as Tuesday.
More household contacts of the cases have been put into isolation despite testing negative so far.
High viral load
Victoria’s Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton said the first Whittlesea man is carrying a high viral load and warned the community to brace for more possible cases.
“He is likely to be quite infectious,” Professor Sutton said.
“We have to ready ourselves for any other positives, and when there are close contacts who do become positive, that raises the possibility that even a casual contact could become positive as well.”
Highpoint Shopping Centre in Maribyrnong and the Bundoora swimming school were listed as initial exposure sites.
Mr Foley flagged no immediate changes to COVID-19 restrictions, and all domestic borders remain open despite most states and territories issuing updated travel advice for recent Victorian arrivals.
The latest outbreak snapped Victoria’s 86-day streak without a locally acquired case.
Source: sbs.com.au
