Victoria records no new local COVID-19 cases as officials brace for national outbreak - The Age

Victoria has recorded no new local cases of coronavirus for the second day in a row as the concern mounts about the prospect of a national outbreak of the highly contagious Delta strain of COVID-19.

Two cases were recorded in Victoria’s hotel quarantine in the 24 hours to midnight on Sunday, and 17,617 test results were processed. Almost 14,300 people received their vaccine doses in the past 24 hours.

There were 37 new cases of community transmission recorded across four jurisdictions on Sunday.

Authorities are chasing down 900 people who worked at the same gold mine as a Northern Territory miner while he was potentially infectious, and reaching out to hundreds of people on flights with a Virgin Australia flight attendant who has tested positive to coronavirus.

Darwin was plunged into a 48-hour lockdown on Sunday after four new cases were linked to the NT gold mine and the Western Australian government announced new restrictions for Perth and Peel on Sunday.

The federal cabinet’s national security committee is due to meet on Monday morning with a specific COVID-19 agenda, particularly to consider the outbreaks, a government spokesman said. Prime Minister Scott Morrison will also reconvene the national cabinet to meet as soon as possible this week.

‘A cross-country seeding event’

Australian Medical Association vice-president Dr Chris Moy said the virulence of the Delta strain was a major factor in the national outbreak.

“We’re basically having a cross-country seeding event, that’s as simple as that,” he said.

Dr Moy said states and territories have to go hard on restrictions early to minimise the spread after two separate coronavirus outbreaks have sparked cases in NSW, the Northern Territory, Western Australia and Queensland.

“It’s beaten the NSW contact tracers, and the reliance on contact tracers and holding out [on introducing a lockdown] for a few days has led to seeding across the country.

“This is a different beast. You’ve got to go hard at this: really, that’s your best chance.”

Senior Victorian cabinet ministers were actively considering shutting the border to New South Wales, as well as parts of Queensland and Western Australia, where new COVID-19 cases were recorded over the weekend.

Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton announced late Sunday that anyone who traveled to the state from Greater Brisbane, Perth’s metropolitan area or the Peel region after 1am on Monday would have to immediately isolate.

The three regions were declared as “orange zones”, with travellers into Victoria having to get a COVID-19 test within 72 hours of arrival, isolate until they receive a negative test and obtain a travel permit.

Greater Brisbane includes the local government areas of Brisbane City, Ipswich City, Logan City, Redlands City and the Moreton Bay Region.

More to come

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Victoria records no new local COVID-19 cases as officials brace for national outbreak - The Age
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