Victorians celebrating zero COVID 19 case day were shocked to receive news of a new case in Melbourne’s Western suburb.
The Victorian health department confirmed the positive case is a teacher at Al-Taqwa College in Melbourne’s west.
The Department of Health on Wednesday afternoon said it was investigating a confirmed case and would provide more information shortly.
The urgent testing of the household contacts of the positive case is being organised, however, contact tracers are still tracking how the person caught the virus.
Al-Taqwa College in Truganina will close and all staff and students are being advised to isolate and get tested.
A new tier 2 exposure site is added to the list this afternoon — the first site added since July 31.
| Suburb | Site | Exposure period | Notes | Date added | Health advice |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yarraville | Coles (Yarraville)Williamstown Road and High StreetYarraville VIC 3103 | 29/07/2021 4:30pm – 5:30pm | Case attended venue | 04/08/2021 3:38pm | Tier 2 – Get tested urgently and isolate until you have a negative result |
People who have visited this exposure site during that time period are advised to get tested immediately and isolate until they receive a negative result.
In the morning Premier Daniel Andrews took to social media to express his happiness at Zero locally acquired case number for Victoria in more than three weeks.
COVID-19 commander Jeroen Weimar said it was cause for quiet celebration and satisfaction.
“It’s a symbolic marking of a point where there are no more COVID cases,” he told reporters.
“It means we’re on track with the strategy that we set three or four weeks ago.”
Nine people with COVID-19 remain in Victorian hospitals, including two in intensive care who are both on ventilators.
Most of the more than 40,000 primary and secondary close contacts who were ordered to quarantine during the outbreak have been released. Fewer than 3,000 people remain in isolation.
The number of exposure sites visited by a positive case in the past 14 days has dropped from a peak of about 400 to about 40 today.
The state is now in its second week out of lockdown.
The current restrictions, which include a ban on home visits and a mask mandate, are set to stay in place until 11:59 pm next Tuesday 10 August 2021.
