Victorian health authorities have revealed a waste management facility in Melbourne's west went into lockdown last week after staff tested positive to coronavirus.
Key points:
- Eight more people were diagnosed with coronavirus overnight, six of whom were returned travellers
- Premier Daniel Andrews said a planned protest in Melbourne this weekend could spread the virus and urged people not to go
- But he said he understood shutting down the protest may do nothing but "inflame a volatile situation"
Global Resource Recovery in Laverton closed on May 29, after two employees linked to the Keilor Downs family outbreak were diagnosed with COVID-19.
The facility was closed as a precaution and was given a deep clean.
"Close contacts have been identified and will be quarantined for 14 days," a Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) spokesperson said.
"All relevant staff are being tested, so far the majority of tests have come back negative."
The facility is expected to reopen once all staff are cleared to return to work.
Earlier, Premier Daniel Andrews said eight more people were diagnosed with coronavirus overnight, taking the state's total cases to 1,678.
Six cases are the result of returned travellers.
One case is the result of routine testing and another is a household contact of an existing case.
Premier urges people not to attend Melbourne Black Lives Matter protest
Meanwhile, Mr Andrews has urged people to stay away from a planned protest this week in support of the Black Lives Matter movement.
Thousands of people are expected to attend the protest on Saturday, which has been organised by members of Victoria's Aboriginal communities in response to the alleged murder of African-American George Floyd by a police officer in the US.
The killing in police custody has sparked a wave of protests across the US and the world.
Mr Andrews said he would prefer the protest did not go ahead, but understood Victoria Police shutting it down may do nothing but "inflame a volatile situation".
"I'm not going to the protest. I would suggest to others that they shouldn't go to the protest either."
Mr Andrews said he understood the "depth of feeling on this issue" but urged people to remember crowds could compromise safety.
"Let's not do anything that potentially spreads the virus," he said.
He also reiterated police would not tolerate violence.
"If it's not peaceful, it's not a protest," he said.
"We've seen enough of those sorts of violent riots, pretty much, we've seen enough of that overseas. We don't want that here."
Mr Andrews said Victoria Police had looked at the issues and made a decision based on "what is most likely to lead to a peaceful protest".
He said strictly imposing curfews or other restrictions of movement might do nothing more than inflame the situation.
"Do you lock people up, do you inflame what is, I think, a pretty volatile situation given the depth of feeling on these issues or … do you take a look and say it's by no means ideal, but it's certainly better than seeing that gathering on Saturday deteriorate into something like we've seen overseas."
https://news.google.com/__i/rss/rd/articles/CBMibmh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmFiYy5uZXQuYXUvbmV3cy8yMDIwLTA2LTA0L3ZpY3RvcmlhLWNvcm9uYXZpcnVzLWNhc2VzLXJpc2UtYXMtcHJlbWllci1kaXNjb3VyYWdlcy1wcm90ZXN0LzEyMzE4Mzcy0gEnaHR0cHM6Ly9hbXAuYWJjLm5ldC5hdS9hcnRpY2xlLzEyMzE4Mzcy?oc=5
2020-06-04 06:04:37Z
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