Good morning,
Residents of the regional Victorian town of Shepparton have been urged to get tested for Covid-19 after three people tested positive yesterday, in an outbreak believed to be linked to the Chadstone cluster.
The three positive cases are isolating at home in the town, which is about two hours north of Melbourne, and being monitored by Goulburn Valley Health. A list of locations visited while people were potentially infectious is below. According to the commander of testing and community engagement, Jeroen Weimar:
Extensive contact tracing has commenced by local authorities. We expect as part of that effort, further cases will be discovered.
To everyone locally – even if you haven’t been near these locations – if you feel unwell at all, please get tested as soon as possible and stay at home until you get your results.
The areas visited are:
- Central Tyre Service, Welsford Street Shepparton from Wednesday 30 September to Tuesday 13 October.
- Bunnings Warehouse, Midland Highway Shepparton Friday 2 October.
- McDonalds Shepparton North, 175 Midland Highway Shepparton Saturday 3 October.
- Mooroopna Golf Club Members Bar, Sunday 4 October and Pro Shop and Members Bar Sunday 11 October
- Shepparton Market Place Medical Centre, Midland Highway Shepparton Thursday 8 October
- Lemon Tree Café, Fryers Street Shepparton
- Thai Orchid Restaurant, Nixon Street Shepparton on Wednesday 7 October from 7.00pm to 8.30pm.
- Bombshell Hairdressing, Fryers Street Shepparton on Wednesday 7 October from 9.30am to 10.30am.
From today a new testing site will be set up at the showgrounds.
There are now 35 cases linked to the Chadstone cluster, plus six linked to the connected Kilmore cluster.
Weimar said there were financial payments available for people to stay home while waiting for their test results (details here) and urged anyone in Shepparton, or with family there, to share the message.
These are not the only new cases in regional Victoria – Bairnsdale Secondary College posted on Facebook that they have been advised of a positive case in the school community, but that the person did not come on to school grounds while infectious. Secondary school students, from year seven onwards, only returned to on-site classes this week.
In other news, the Victorian premier Daniel Andrews survived a no-confidence motion brought by the opposition leader, Michael O’Brien, yesterday. This is no real surprise – Labor holds an 11 seat majority in the lower house. The motion lost 44 votes to 23, in a debate that lasted into the night. The opposition called Andrews a “self-centred, egotistical, one-man band”. Andrews called the motion a political stunt.
And speaking of no-confidence motions – the NSW opposition leader, Jodie McKay, will move one against the premier, Gladys Berejiklian, today. We’ll bring you more on that as it happens.
Staying in NSW, health authorities have issued an alert for several venues in southwestern Sydney which were frequented by people who later tested positive to Covid-19. Anyone who attended the following venues is asked to monitor for symptoms and get tested immediately, should they develop:
- Woolworths Oran Park on Wednesday, 30 September, from 5.30pm to 6.30pm; Thursday 8 October from 5.15pm to 6pm, and Friday 9 October from 6pm to 6.30pm.
- Prasadi Nepali restaurant in Emerald Hills on Friday, 2 October, from 3.30pm to 4pm.
- McDonalds Emerald Hills on Friday, 2 October, from 5pm to 5.15pm.
- Aldi Emerald Hills on Friday, 2 October, from 5.30pm to 6.15pm.
- Fantastic Furniture Campbelltown on Friday, 9 October, from 3.30pm to 5.20pm.
- Bunnings Gregory Hills on Tuesday, 6 October, from 7pm to 8pm.
- IKEA Tempe on Wednesday, 7 October, from 1.30pm to 5.30pm.
Let’s crack on. You can follow me on twitter at @callapilla or email me at calla.wahlquist@theguardian.com
