Our team to trace cases

A CORONAVIRUS contact tracing team for the Geelong region has been established at Barwon Health, as the state government steps up advice and urges regional residents to wear masks in public.

And Barwon Health has warned it is too early to know if the region has avoided a severe second wave.

Victoria recorded 428 cases on Friday, a nationwide record daily increase. Three more people died — a woman in her 80s, a man in his 70s and a man in his 80s — taking the state death toll to 32.

One new active case was reported for Greater Geelong on Friday, increasing the municipality’s active cases to eight and overall case total to 77.

Government advice to wear masks in public where social distancing is difficult has been extended to regional Victoria.

“That mask can be homemade, that mask can be one you’ve bought, that mask could take the form of simply wearing a scarf,” Premier Daniel Andrews said.

He said the Geelong region’s situation was under constant review, given its proximity to Melbourne and movement between the cities.

“If it gets away from us in Geelong, then there’s obviously a very significant impact given how many businesses, how big Geelong is,” he said.

“The longer we can hopefully permanently keep Geelong’s status very, very low, then that means the restrictions will always be more favourable there.”

The government also announced the first dedicated regional public health team at Barwon Health.

Starting with 10 clinicians, it will provide case management and contact tracing for regional cases, and assist Melbourne teams where possible.

Barwon Health chief executive Frances Diver said infectious diseases specialist Professor Eugene Athan would lead the team for the Barwon South West region.

“We believe a new taskforce will be able to use local knowledge to complete this work quickly, with informed understanding of how and where the virus is likely to spread in our local community,” she said.

“We will continue to monitor cases closely to see if the virus has spread in the region.

“All of our cases are linked to confirmed cases in Melbourne, including some in Wyndham.”

Ms Diver urged the public to maintain physical distancing and good hand hygiene, and to be tested if showing symptoms.

Deakin University epidemiologist Catherine Bennett urged people to minimise unnecessary contact to minimise the risk of being part of a cluster. “Treat everyone you meet as if they’re positive,” Professor Bennett said.

Mr Andrews urged Geelong people to be vigilant too.

“If you’re sick get tested, you just can’t be going about your business as normal if you’ve got even the mildest of symptoms because … you may be spreading it among literally dozens and dozens of people,” he said.

“And that is what will put Geelong’s status at risk; that is what will see Geelong into a different set of rules.”