Victoria was notified of 10 new cases of COVID-19 yesterday. All are locally acquired cases linked to the recent interstate incursions of COVID-19.
There were 26 active cases in Victoria – 14 locally acquired and 12 overseas acquired cases.
There were no COVID-19 cases in hospital in Victoria yesterday.
The total number of confirmed cases in Victoria since the beginning of the pandemic is 20,737.
Update: Interstate incursions
In addition to the 10 new cases notified yesterday, the Department has been notified of four additional cases today.
These four additional cases will be included in tomorrow’s total case numbers.
Three of these cases attended the Carlton vs Geelong AFL match at the MCG in the Melbourne Cricket Club Members’ Reserve. The fourth new case today is linked to the Ariele Apartments in Maribyrnong.
The recent interstate incursions of COVID-19 have led to two separate chains of transmission that have produced a total of 18 positive cases, more than 75 exposure sites, around 1500 primary close contacts and more than 5000 secondary close contacts.
A strong public health response is underway in relation to these cases and close contacts.
The City of Hume outbreak stands at five cases which includes a family of four with one additional contact linked to the Coles Craigieburn exposure site. There are 195 identified primary close contacts.
There are seven positive cases linked to the Ariele Apartments in Maribyrnong. All positive cases within the apartment complex are now in hotel quarantine. There are 680 identified primary close contacts, of which 131 are residents of the apartment complex and 104 of those have retuned negative test results. In addition, there are two cases in an elderly couple from Craigieburn who are the parents of a positive case at the apartment complex.
There are now a further three positive cases linked to a case at the Ariele Apartments which has led to further exposure sites at the Bacchus Marsh Grammar School and the Barwon Heads Primary School, in addition to the three cases at the MCG.
Exposure sites are published at Case alerts – public exposure sites.
The Department regularly manages exposure sites that it doesn’t publish online, particularly if these sites represent lower-risk exposures, or if they have comprehensive record-keeping and contact tracing measures, or if they identify small, private locations.
Exposure sites are regularly reviewed based on intelligence and evidence, following case interviews.
Five-day lockdown for Victoria
On the advice of the Acting Chief Health Officer, the Victorian Government has announced a 5-day lockdown for the State of Victoria to commence at 11.59pm tonight (Thursday 15 July).
This lockdown has been put in place in response to our new cases of COVID-19, a large number of popular exposure sites and to combat the circulating strain of virus that is wildly infectious.
More information about the 5-day lockdown can be found at Statement from the Premier page.
New mask wearing rules for Victoria
From 11:59pm last night (Wednesday 14 July), face mask rules changed for Victorians aged 12 years and above.
The Acting Chief Health Officer has declared that wearing a face mask indoors is now mandatory, except for in the home, unless an exception applies. This includes all workplaces and secondary schools.
Masks must also be worn outdoors if you cannot maintain a 1.5 metre distance from people who aren’t from your household, such as at an outdoor event.
More information is available online at Coronavirus (COVID-19) Victoria.
Update: Travel permits
New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory are red zones.
The City of Brisbane, Moreton Bay and Sunshine Coast are orange zones.
Engagement teams, supported by Defence personnel, made 350 household visits to permit holders yesterday. Of those, 337 were red zone permit holders, 328 from NSW and 9 from the ACT. A small number were found not to be isolating and will be referred to authorities for appropriate action.
You must have a valid permit, exception or exemption to enter Victoria, even if entering from a green zone.
Permits can be obtained at Service Victoria.
See more about Victoria's travel permit system at Victorian Travel Permit System.
Update: Vaccinations
Yesterday, 15,161 vaccine doses were administered by Victoria’s state-commissioned services.
The total number of doses administered through these services is 1,328,544.
Victoria's online booking system is now live at Book your vaccine appointment or you can ring the coronavirus hotline on 1800 675 398.
Information about Victoria's vaccination centres can be found at Vaccination centres
Update: Tests
Yesterday, 27,061 tests were processed in Victoria.
In response to the current cases in Victoria, testing capacity at the Melbourne Showgrounds and at 227 Bourke Street in the City has been doubled. The Bourke Street testing centre is operating with expanded hours and will remain open until 7pm today.
A pop-up testing site has also been established at the Bacchus March railway station car park.
See where to get tested at Where to get tested.
Update: COVID-19 wastewater detections in Greater Geelong
As announced yesterday, there have been two unexpected detections of COVID-19 viral fragments in wastewater samples over recent days in two Geelong catchments.
The period of concern is between 4 and 7 July for the following Geelong suburbs: Belmont, Highton and Wandana Heights
The period of concern is between 8 and 12 July for the following Geelong suburbs: Breakwater, Clifton Springs, Curlewis, Leopold, Drysdale, East Geelong, Moolap, Newcomb, South Geelong, Thomson and Whittington
The unexpected detections may be due to someone who has had COVID-19, is no longer infectious and is continuing to ‘shed' the virus – or it may be due to an active but undiagnosed infectious case.
Anyone in the affected suburbs is urged to monitor for symptoms of COVID-19 and get tested if any symptoms develop.
More detailed information, including a list of affected suburbs and follow-up wastewater results, can be found at Wastewater testing.
The Department will continue to monitor the situation closely.
General advice
COVID-19 symptoms include fever, sore throat, cough, shortness of breath and loss or change in sense of smell or taste. If you are experiencing symptoms, wear a fitted face mask when you get tested.
The Department publishes expected wait times at testing sites as well as updated information about locations and hours of operation at Where to get tested.
For more information call the 24-hour Coronavirus Hotline at 1800 675 398 or visit Coronavirus (COVID-19) Victoria.
Latest statewide numbers (data reported to 11:59pm yesterday):
| Cases acquired locally | Cases acquired interstate | Cases acquired overseas | Active cases | Lives lost | Tests processed yesterday | Total tests since pandemic began |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | 0 | 0 | 26 | 0 | 27,061 | 7,633,719 |
|
Number of permits issued (Jan 11 - 7am today) |
Number of permit applications processed in the past 24 hours | Average # of permits issued per minute in the past 24 hours |
|---|---|---|
|
2,971,495 |
13,911 | 9.66 |