Residents of a Melbourne townhouse complex were met with government nurses and a pop-up testing facility on Monday morning as the Victorian health department investigates a possible CCP virus transmission site within the complex.
Health authorities established a link between a confirmed case reported on June 12 with a worker from Arcare Maidstone who lives in the same Southbank complex—a complex made up of over 100 townhouses.
“Most residents will simply be required to test and isolate until negative ... but a smaller number ... will most likely have to isolate for 14 days,” Victoria’s Health Minister Martin Foley said on June 14.
The Southbank complex is listed as a tier-2 exposure site.
“Rather than wait for the community to come to the contact tracers and the testing facility, local public health took the view that they should go to them, and I think that is a good thing.”
The health department believes the aged care worker infected the man aged in his 30s in a common area of the low-rise complex prior to testing positive.
“The epidemiology, the interviews with the two cases involved and the genomic sequencing seems to support that,” Foley said.
“An SMS went out too everyone on the list last night … and a door knocking and testing is well underway.
“As I understand it, it is not laundries.
“It’s quite a large area with multiple entry points and car parks.
“What we’re trying to do is to run down the particular circumstances of that and make sure that if there are any chains of transmission out there, that we identify them early and cut them off.
The health minister confirmed that “specialist nurses” were working with residents to ensure that people were tested.
This comes as the state records two new local cases on June 14—both of whom are children, who are close contacts of previous cases, and have not been in the community while infectious.
There are more than 2000 Victorians in isolation after being confirmed close contacts of positive cases. Approximately 130 public exposure sites listed in Victoria.
Currently, Victoria is under restrictions following the state’s fourth lockdown that ended on June 10.
Restrictions such as a 25 km travel limit for metropolitan residents, including a ban on home gatherings, a 10 person limit to group gatherings, as well as mandatory masks use indoors and outdoors will remain until at least June 18.
Regional Victorians are allowed two visitors at home, while density limits are in place at restaurants, pubs and cafes, gyms and other venues.
Foley said Victoria was “on track” for a further easing of restrictions later in the week “as more information comes to hand.”
