Victoria Records 10 Coronavirus Cases, Their Link to NSW Outbreak Confirmed
Acoronavirus cluster linked to a restaurant in Melbourne has grown to 18 as Victorian authorities confirm the outbreak is “directly linked” to New South Wales.
Victoria recorded 10 locally acquired coronavirus infections on Friday, the Department of Health and Human Services said yesterday morning.
The new cases were detected from 18,337 test results.
Of the 10 local cases, two were announced on Friday — two Victorians who were tested in New South Wales after travelling through Lakes Entrance. The cases are now being managed by Victoria. All of the infections are linked to the Smile Buffalo Thai restaurant in Black Rock, known as the “Mentone-Mitcham cluster”, Health Minister Martin Foley said.
The latest cases include a restaurant staff member and other people who dined at the restaurant on December 21. Close contacts of cases, who are required to quarantine, also tested positive for the virus.
Mr Foley said genomic sequencing tests had established all of Victoria’s outbreak cases were “directly linked to the New South Wales cluster”.
“The genomic proof is in the pudding. This cluster originated from the combined North Shore-Croydon outbreak. That is the science,” Mr Foley said.
“It is up to both Victoria and New South Wales to work together to get on top of it.”
Mr Foley said it was “regrettable” that the NSW outbreak had spread to Victoria, but he was “not here to criticise any other jurisdiction”.