Victoria records 12 new local cases of COVID-19 as more exposure sites added - The Age

Victoria has recorded 12 new local cases of COVID-19 after a number of apartment buildings, supermarkets and bottle shops were added to the more than 400 exposure sites across the state on Friday evening.

All the new cases are linked to the current outbreak and 10 of the 12 cases were in quarantine throughout their infectious period, the Department of Health said on Twitter.

More than 39,800 test results were returned across Friday, with 19,281 vaccination doses administered at state-run clinics.

Victoria has 169 active cases, including 158 related to the outbreaks seeded from Sydney.

The LaCrosse Building on La Trobe Street, Docklands has been added as an exposure site from July 16 to July 23, while the apartment complex at 190H Riversdale Road in Hawthorn has been listed between July 19 and July 23.

The list also included sites linked to COVID-19 exposure on Wednesday, July 21, including the Shell Coles Express in Auburndale for a period on Wednesday between 6.30pm and 7.15pm, the Thirsty Camel bottle shop in Hawthorn East from 6.30pm to 7.10pm, the Woolworths in Camberwell between 7.07pm and 7.45pm and the Renaissance Hawthorn IGA Plus Liquor from 6.55pm to 7.40pm.

All the most recent exposure sites are considered tier 2, meaning anyone who was present at the same time as a confirmed COVID-19 case must isolate until they receive a negative test. There are now 404 entries on the list.

Late on Friday night, Victorian Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton declared all of NSW an “extreme risk zone”, meaning Victorians can only return from that state with an exemption or valid permit.

The decision to upgrade NSW’s travel status was backdated to 9pm on July 9. Red zone declarations for the ACT, Norfolk Island and South Australia remain unchanged.

“If people enter Victoria from an extreme risk zone without an exemption, they will be put on a return flight or placed in 14 days mandatory hotel quarantine. Exemptions will only be granted in exceptional circumstances,” the department said in a series of tweets.

“Victorian residents returning from a red zone who have been in an extreme risk zone in the last 14 days can only enter Victoria with an exemption, exception or another valid permit, such as a specified worker permit.”

Eleven of Victoria’s 14 new local cases announced on Friday morning were in isolation throughout their infectious period, a result which Premier Daniel Andrews as “very encouraging”.

He told reporters yesterday that if Victorians continued to observe lockdown protocols the state would get the “right outcome” next week.

A protest against lockdown measures was planned for midday at Flinders Street Station.

NSW records 163 new local cases, 45 infectious in the community

NSW reported 163 new locally acquired cases in the latest reporting period, the highest daily tally of the latest outbreak.

NSW Health Minister Brad Hazzard said 45 of those new cases were infectious in the community.

“What it is telling us is we have a continuing and growing problem, particularly in south-west and western Sydney,” Mr Hazzard said.

“What we see is transmission particularly as a result of family members getting together when they just should not be getting together. We also are seeing transmission in shops and in other workplaces.”

Of the new cases, 66 were household contacts of existing cases and 25 were close contacts.

There were 93,900 tests undertaken in the 24 hours to 8pm last night.

Today’s figures follow the second-highest case numbers yesterday, when 136 cases were reported.

With Pallavi Singhal, Cassandra Morgan, Roy Ward

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Victoria records 12 new local cases of COVID-19 as more exposure sites added - The Age
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