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Victoria has recorded five new cases and no deaths from coronavirus in the past 24 hours.
Melbourne’s 14-day rolling average is now 6.1 while regional Victoria’s remains at 0.4.
It comes after a child who tested positive for COVID-19 went to school while he was meant to be self-isolating, resulting in the closure of two schools in Melbourne’s north.
East Preston Islamic College was shut on Wednesday after the grade 5 boy received his positive result.
The school has students from kindergarten to year 12.
The infected student attended classes on Monday and Tuesday.
Late on Wednesday night, the Department of Health and Human Services urged any residents of Melbourne’s northern suburbs including Dallas, Roxburgh Park, Broadmeadows, Preston and West Heidelberg who are experiencing mild symptoms to be tested.
Dallas Brooks Primary School was also closed on Wednesday as a precaution after a close contact of the East Preston Islamic College student was identified there.
The DHHS issued a statement on Wednesday night warning that they expected more cases would be detected as a result.
It said cases linked to the outbreak had been found in a Broadmeadows social housing block.
Notices were sent to 120 residents asking them to self-isolate for 48 hours, to get tested and to monitor for symptoms.
DHHS’ Jeroen Weimar said: “We’re asking all these residents to come forward for asymptomatic testing at the dedicated testing station on-site.”
He said East Preston Islamic College staff and students who are close contacts of the infected student - and their households - were identified and told to quarantine for 14 days.
Some were self-isolating at home and others were part of the Covid19 Accommodation program being monitored by Austin Health and Banyule Community Health, Mr Weimar said.
Pop up testing sites were due to be in place on Thursday, with details of locations still to come.
East Preston Islamic College principal Ekrem Ozyurek told The Australian the student had been required to isolate for two weeks because he was a close contact of a family member who had tested positive.
“Our understanding is that this student was considered to be a close contact and was meant to be quarantining, but after day 11 he returned to school thinking that it was okay to do so,” Mr Ozyurek said.
“He stayed at home for the first week but I think his siblings had tested negative and he thought he was OK to come back too. But he hadn’t taken the test.
“I think there must have been some misunderstanding perhaps, some broken communication.”
The school’s website was updated with a statement from Mr Ozyurek on Wednesday night that said: “Our school site will remain closed until we are advised by the DHHS and the Department of Education and Training that it is safe to re-open.
“I remind you that all staff and students are asked to limit their movements while contact tracing occurs. This means limiting movements to home-based activities and not attending public places. The duration of this will depend on the complexity of the investigation and number of close contacts identified.”
HOPE FOR CAFES, RESTAURANTS AND BARS
Shops, cafes, restaurants and bars are expected to open their doors to the public next Wednesday.
The Premier is expected to announce the move on Sunday, allowing workers to go into their venues and stores the next morning to prepare for the reopening.
But hospitality venues are pushing for higher patron limits as they prepare to reopen for indoor and outdoor trading.
Daniel Andrews again gave a strong indication he will announce easing of restrictions around hospitality and retail sectors, admitting people were frustrated.
“We have to deal with the health problem first,” he said.
“We have to look at the damage that this pandemic has done to us in lots of different ways; personal, family, economy, different sectors, different businesses, different workers have been impacted,” he said.
On Wednesday, the government announced a planning scheme amendment to make it easier for venues to set up outdoor dining.
“Whether it is in the CBD, regional Victoria, suburban outlets, strip shopping centres, people are looking for incredibly innovative ways to ensure they can get up and get going; and ensure that their outdoor venues are appropriate,” said Planning Minister Richard Wynne.
The government is expected to allow a “dark opening” for venues next Monday and Tuesday, with trading from Wednesday.
Owner of several restaurants, including Chin Chin, Chris Lucas said venues must be allowed to open for indoor dining with at least 20 people per space instead of the 10 envisaged.
“And assuming new infections remain low, after a fortnight we’d like to move to 50 per space,” he said.
“The key objective is that by the end of November we are able to operate at half our capacity, which will allow us to operate during the December-Christmas period, and take advantage of the busiest period of the year.”
Mr Lucas said the industry operated very safely.
Lord Mayor Sally Capp said that provided virus cases stayed low, Mr Andrews should keep his promise to open up earlier than originally planned for early November.
“Businesses across our city are prepared to reopen in a COVID-safe way,” she said.
“Melbourne is the nation’s leader in hospitality. Our business owners are responsible and professional.”
Ms Capp said the government should be more flexible with restrictions, such as customer numbers for hospitality.
“I will keep pushing to get as many diners as possible into venues in a COVID-safe way, as soon as we can. This will help save jobs and livelihoods,” she said.
Deputy Lord Mayor Arron Wood said there was light at the end of a very long tunnel for hospitality and retail.
“Sadly, many people’s businesses haven’t made it,” he said. “We must get percentage of capacity limits for indoor dining instead of blunt caps on numbers, because for restrictions to be sustainable, small business owners need to be able to make ends meet.”
“This is a good step, but so many industries such as events, tourism, comedy, arts and cultural institutions are still waiting for a workable road map to recovery.”
Victorian Chamber of Commerce and Industry chief executive Paul Guerra said there was some hope at last for many Victorian businesses doing it tough.
“The Victorian Chamber has consistently advocated for an earlier opening, and we are optimistic for a win on behalf of business this Sunday,” he said.
HOPE FOR CHURCHES CLOUDED BY TIGHT RULES
Daniel Andrews has sparked hope among people of faith after flagging a significant easing of restrictions around religious gatherings.
But senior church officials remain cautiously optimistic amid concerns the changes won’t include a return to indoor gatherings.
A major concern has been raised about elderly people forced to gather outside in inclement weather.
Under current restrictions religious gatherings are capped at five people in Melbourne and 20 in regional Victoria and must be outside.
Church leaders — pointing out the fact regional pubs are allowed 70 outside and 40 inside — have accused the state government of dismissing people of faith.
The Premier said he would discuss the restrictions with Catholic Archbishop Peter A. Comensoli this week after he expressed disappointment over the rules. The archbishop had not been contacted on Wednesday.
“We are looking at this very carefully and I hope on Sunday to be able to give to people of faith what they have been craving and missed all this year. But it has to be safe,” Mr Andrews said on Wednesday.
Defending the disparity between church services and hospitality venues Mr Andrews said places of worship were not regulated.
“It’s not a matter of, ‘I have made the decision’. It is public health and international experts that establish they are different gatherings and that a heavy regulated environment, licensed environment is different to one that is not. That is pretty plain,” he said.
Archbishop Comensoli said places of worship had demonstrated support for restrictions and the capacity to comply with them.
“If you can pop over the road for a beer with however many people, you should be able to step into your church with the same number of people and pray,” he said.
CAFE FORCED TO HIRE SECURITY AFTER DIG AT ANDREWS
A Melbourne cafe owner says a ‘lighthearted’ sign charging Daniel Andrews supporters extra for coffees has triggered a flood of abuse and threats, prompting him to hire security guards.
The sign at Arcobar in Moorabbin, in the city’s southeast, asks people to add $1 to their coffee order if they support the Premier.
It has been on the counter for three weeks but the backlash only started on Wednesday after a photo of the sign was shared on social media.
Arcobar co-owner Franz Madlener told the Herald Sun his staff had been inundated with abuse, including one person who called up threatening to hurl a brick through his window.
As a result, he has hired a security company to do 24/7 patrols.
He said the sign was an attempt at “lighthearted banter” to counter the comments he regularly hears from customers about how he should feel happy about the reopening targets.
“It’s a silent protest to the people who come in and lecture us that we should be grateful for what the government’s done and grateful that they’re going to let us open again soon,” he said.
“We’re not trying to make a political stance we’re just saying ‘hey we’re a small business we are doing it tough’. Don’t tell us we should be grateful.”
Mr Madlener said he wasn’t anti-Labor and wasn’t affiliated with any political party.
He said the business had more than 100 calls on Wednesday from people swearing and yelling at his staff.
The sign was posted to social media this week.
The sign was posted to social media this week.
“There was a lot of personal abuse, it was pretty vile. And then the trolling online is just unbelievable, I can’t even look at it. It’s just been the most emotional day for all the staff. One of the girls had to go home early she was so upset.”
Their rating on google went from 4.7 down to below 2 by Wednesday afternoon, Mr Madlener said.
He said the level of abuse was “off the charts”.
“I’ve been in business all my life I’ve never seen such division, such anger in the community,” he said.
Mr Madlener said since the start of the pandemic the business has lost hundreds of thousands of dollars but was persevering with takeaway orders and was “just hanging on”.
He said he would keep the sign up because he didn’t want to be seen to be giving in to the “aggressive minority”.
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2020-10-21 21:50:43Z
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