REPORTS OF NEW COVID CASE & SITES IN GEELONG:
A LORNE building site, two Geelong tool shops, a Bunnings store, a CBD pharmacy and a petrol station were listed as new Covid exposure sites on Friday night as reports emerged of a new local case.
Lorne’s Stribling Reserve construction site at 45 Otway St was named as a Tier 1 site between 11.45am-4.15pm on September 6.
Barwon Health said it was not able to comment on the reports of a new case.
New Tier 2 local sites across September 6-8 were: Bunnings, Norlane, APCO service station, North Geelong, Total Tools Geelong, Sydney Tools North Geelong, and Geelong Soul Pattinson Pharmacy.
The news came after a V/ Line train driver from Gippsland tested positive to Covid, forcing the cancellation of a number of trains on the Geelong line on Friday.
With fewer services scheduled on weekends, it is expected there will be minimal disruption to trains on Saturday and Sunday, but V/Line is working through plans to have fewer drivers than usual available early next week.
The infected train driver had been in the staff room at Southern Cross Station and had travelled to Gippsland, Public Transport Minister Ben Carroll said.
Victoria reported 334 new locally acquired Covid cases on Friday, with 149 linked to known cases and outbreaks.
An unvaccinated man in his 70s from Coburg died after being infected with Covid.
Geelong hospital is preparing to take on Covid patients from Melbourne if needed, as hospitalisations climb.
The state government said there were 127 people with Covid in hospital in Victoria on Friday.
Barwon South West public health unit director Eugene Athan said Barwon Health was prepared to be activated as a streaming site to accept Covid patients.
“We are working closely with Epworth and St John of God hospitals under Victoria’s comprehensive agreement to ensure we can meet the needs of our community,” he said.
“We have the ability to increase overall bed capacity at University Hospital Geelong, including our intensive care unit (ICU) capacity, to meet increasing demand.”