In the past day, 10 new local cases of COVID-19 have been recorded in Melbourne, bringing the initial cluster of 5 to 15. Thankfully, the Victorian government acted fast, implementing restrictions across metropolitan Melbourne last night from 6pm.
In case you missed the announcements, the new restrictions currently include:
- Private gatherings being limited to five people per day
- Public gatherings are now limited to 30 people
- Face masks are to be worn indoors by everyone 12 years old and up, unless an exemption applies
New Zealand has also paused the Trans-Tasman travel bubble and there have been $200 fines issued for anyone who refuses to wear a mask on public transport in Victoria.
Although not a lockdown as of yet, the active cases are the “so-called Indian variant”, which is worrying, as this strain is said to present more serious and unusual symptoms, such as diarrhoea, abdominal pain and joint pain.
Since yesterday, the government has been able to confirm that all of the new 15 cases are linked, meaning that they can identify how each case was contracted and its exact source.
Although this is good news, the exposure sites are increasing by the hour. Of course this means more people may have been exposed, but are either not showing symptoms yet or haven’t been tested.
A list of regularly updated exposure sites can be found here, on the ABC News website.
They expand across south side and north side suburbs, including Clifton Hill, Fitzroy, Prahran and South Yarra. Please check to see if you’ve been to any of these sites. It’s crucial for us all to stay calm, vigilant and updated and avoid another serious lockdown.
For now, we’re waiting to hear more. Best to stay home if and wherever possible, make sure to always wear a face mask, and if you feel any symptoms at all, go and get tested.
You can find your closest testing site here.
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