Red zones in NSW ACT downgraded as Victoria records 1420 new COVID-19 cases 11 deaths

Areas in NSW and the ACT that are not in lockdown will be downgraded from red to orange zones under Victoria’s travel permit system.

That means both Victorians and non-residents in those areas can travel into Victoria, but must have a test within 72 hours of arriving in the state, and isolate until they receive a negative test result.

“Extreme risk zones” in NSW and the ACT, which are locked-down areas, will be changed to red zones, meaning returning Victorians must quarantine at home for 14 days.

“As we are confident the risks continued to be mitigated in NSW, we want to make sure that we continue to keep a close eye on that,” Health Minister Martin Foley said on Wednesday.

“And if there are further changes to be made in due course, we will of course let everybody know.”

Victoria recorded 1420 new local coronavirus cases and 11 deaths on Wednesday, taking the state’s total active cases to 14,410.

The daily case numbers are a significant drop from the national record of 1763 reported on Tuesday, but the number of deaths is the highest reported this year.

More than 36,542 people rolled up their sleeves for a COVID-19 jab on Tuesday, and 71,451 test results were processed.

Rapid antigen testing to be rolled out across Victorian health system

Rapid antigen testing will be rolled out across Victoria’s healthcare system, as well as in schools, childcare centres, corrections facilities, and emergency services.

Mr Foley said the Victorian government would buy 2.2 million of the tests after the Therapeutic Goods Administration approved the use of the testing more widely from November 1.

“We’ll have more to say about how [the rapid antigen test program] operates across the whole of the Victorian government in the very near future,” Mr Foley said.

He said that 33 rapid antigen tests had been authorised for use in Australia.

Cases linked to violent CFMEU protests soar

Dozens of Victorians infected with COVID-19 have been linked to the violent protests outside the CFMEU’s Melbourne headquarters last month.

CFMEU secretary John Setka outside the union’s Melbourne headquarters before the protest turned violent.Credit:AAP

Victorian CFMEU state secretary John Setka, who was the target of some of the vitriol, said on Wednesday morning it was “absolutely unforgivable” that the protesters had caused a coronavirus superspreader event.

“Personally, I think [the protesters] don’t care,” he said. “I mean, it’s a pretty tragic set of circumstances where … dozens of kids and families have now been infected because of their reckless, moronic actions,” he told the Today show.

Mr Setka said he had tested negative for the virus and was relieved he didn’t spread it to his elderly parents, but the situation was “just terrible”.

Union officials were still reviewing footage from the protests, but Mr Setka said some people who caused damage to the headquarters were members and would have to front up to the executive.

“They’ll have to answer for their actions and in some of the cases, in some of the footage that I’ve seen, they’ll probably be expelled ... from the union,” he said.

Mr Setka said objects thrown during the protests could have “taken someone’s eye out”.

“It’s a bit sad and for these misguided individuals to be sucked in by some of these other morons is even more disturbing,” Mr Setka said.

VCE students test positive for COVID-19 after sitting GAT

Four students from schools in Melbourne’s north and west who sat the General Achievement Test in Melbourne on Tuesday have tested positive for coronavirus.

Roxburgh College and Point Cook Senior Secondary College are among the affected schools, and have been closed for deep cleaning.

A Victorian government spokesperson confirmed the four positive cases, and said public health investigations were ongoing.

“The Department of Health will work with the Department of Education and Training and individual schools to ensure that the public health risks are minimised while quarantining as few students as possible,” the spokesperson said.

“Overall, schools did a fantastic job yesterday holding the GAT with [COVID-safe] protocols in place, with just four cases among more than 85,000 students sitting the exam after targeted hotspot testing caught around 30 cases in students before the test.

At least one of the cases was fully vaccinated and asymptomatic.

The new cases are unlikely to affect VCE written exams, which are scheduled to be held from October 27.

The Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority will attempt to reschedule exams for affected students after they have completed their isolation periods, if resources allow for that.

Victorian health authorities flagged earlier this week that they would be moving to a more targeted and risk-based approach to isolating students from Monday.

Restrictions ease across Latrobe Valley

Residents of the Latrobe Valley returned to the same coronavirus restrictions as the rest of regional Victoria on Wednesday after their seven-day lockdown lifted at 11.59pm on Tuesday.

The region recorded nine new coronavirus cases on Tuesday, however, Premier Daniel Andrews said “we feel that we have a good understanding of that outbreak”.

As of Tuesday, there were a total 67 active cases in the Latrobe Valley.

“I’m very grateful to everybody across Latrobe city for the contribution they’ve made,” Mr Andrews said.

“It’s never easy to be forced into a lockdown but the strategy has worked.”

Meanwhile, authorities identified a number of new COVID-19 exposure sites late on Tuesday evening, including childcare centres and a library in regional Victoria.

Only About Children at Camberwell was declared a tier-1 or close contact exposure site on Wednesday, September 22 between 7.45am and 5.45pm, and on Monday, September 27 between 8am and 6pm.

Swan Childcare centre at Derrimut was declared tier-1 on Thursday, September 30 between 9am and 5.45pm, and on Friday, October 1 between 9am and 5.45pm.

The Nathalia library in northern Victoria was declared a tier-1 site on Thursday, September 30 between 9.30am and 5.30pm, and on Friday, October 1 between 9.30am and 1pm.

Anyone who attended the childcare centres or the library during those timeframes must get tested for COVID-19 and quarantine for 14 days from the exposure date, regardless of whether they receive a negative test result.

Officials announced on Monday they would stop publishing tier-2 or casual contact sites, with Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton saying: “We have to focus our efforts on where we’ll get the most bang for buck, the greatest efficiency and effectiveness of contact tracing.”

Our Breaking News Alert will notify you of significant breaking news when it happens. Get it here.

Share this post