NO TIME TO RELAX
SPREAD ALERT: Geelong not immune to school holiday coronavirus spike
MELBOURNE’S school holiday coronavirus surge has Geelong health and tourism chiefs on edge as they try to keep the city quarantined from the killer bug.
Seventy-five new cases of the infection were recorded in Victoria yesterday, a near record spike that threw the AFL fixture into turmoil and created a quandary for tourist operators.
Although desperate for patronage during the holidays, the sector is aware that if too many visitors come to the region to relax, the virus might spread and public health restrictions could be tightened.
Although there is only one active case in the Geelong region on record at the moment, the high rate of community transmissions recorded yesterday has authorities considering legal restrictions on Victorians moving about the state.
MELBOURNE’S school holiday coronavirus surge has Geelong health and tourism chiefs on edge as they try to keep the city quarantined from the killer bug.
Seventy-five new cases of the infection were reported in Victoria yesterday, a spike that created a quandary for tourist operators.
Although desperate for patronage during the holidays, the sector is aware that if too many visitors come to this region to relax, the virus might spread and public health restrictions might be tightened.
“What we’re seeing is transmission across settings because people are still going out with symptoms,” Victoria chief health officer Brett Sutton said.
“Whether or not it needs a legal direction (to limit peoples’ movements) is a conversation to be had over the next few days, we are not there yet.
“But the solution is there already, which is people not having unnecessary contacts across multiple households, across multiple settings.”
Tourism Greater Geelong and Bellarine executive director Brett Ince urged visitors to the region to follow health advice and stay home or reschedule their stay if they felt unwell.
“Visitors should consider working with businesses to consider a different time to travel, making sure they consider that we’re in a public health crisis first and foremost, but also considering that support for local businesses who have been hard hit during the pandemic,” Mr Ince said.
The 75 new cases reported yesterday was the highest daily Victorian figure for new infections in months.
Deakin University epidemiology chair Catherine Bennett said although infections seemed concentrated in certain Melbourne suburbs, Geelong residents needed to remain cautious and follow health advice.
“While the cases of someone in Geelong being positive are extremely low, continuing to keep your distance and treating each person outside of your household as a potential positive lowers the risk further,” Professor Bennett said.
Prof Bennett attributed the spike in cases to the State Government’s door-to-door testing blitz.
She predicted an increase in restrictions would be dependent on the State Government’s success in tracking community transmission.
“Increased testing and the introduction of saliva testing is giving the Government a fuller picture and the detailed information to know where the risks really are,” Prof Bennett said.
A Barwon Health spokeswoman said anyone with symptoms or who had been in close contact with a confirmed case should contact their GP or make an appointment to be tested at Barwon Health North or Torquay Community Health centre.