By Laura Michell
A staff member at a Craigieburn McDonald’s restaurant has tested positive for COVID-19.
The Department of Health and Human Services and McDonald’s confirmed the positive test this afternoon and said the store – believed to be the Craigieburn Road McDonald’s – had been closed immediately.
A McDonald’s spokesperson said the staff member who tested positive is an extended relative of one of the previously announced positive COVID-19 cases at Fawkner.
The employee has not worked at the Fawkner restaurant and last worked at the Craigieburn store on May 12.
The spokesperson said the employee was self-isolating at home with “little to no symptoms”.
“All Craigieburn employees have been instructed not to return to work for 14 days and advised to be tested,” a statement from McDonald’s said.
“We have engaged an external contractor to conduct a deep clean of the restaurant using the highest-grade chemicals recommended by the Department of Health.”
Meanwhile, Hume has one of the highest active coronavirus counts in the state, new data reveals.
Latest figures from the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) reveals there are 12 active cases of the virus in the municipality. Hume has recorded a total of 51 positive COVID-19 test.
Only Brimbank (17) and Melbourne (13) have a higher number of active cases.
There are 34 confirmed coronavirus cases in Whittlesea, of which four are active.
There are now 1543 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Victoria, of which 154 may have been acquired through community transmission.
The number of confirmed cases has risen by 20 since yesterday.
Two of the new cases have been linked to the McDonald’s Restaurant outbreak in Fawkner, taking the total number of cases in this outbreak to 10.
More than 90 employees have been tested as a precaution.
Following the department’s advice, McDonald’s closed the restaurant and undertook a deep clean.
All close contacts of confirmed cases have been contacted by the department and will remain in quarantine for 14 days.
One of the new cases has been linked to the outbreak at Cedar Meats in Brooklyn. The total number of cases currently linked to this outbreak is now 91.
Victoria’s chief health officer Brett Sutton said: “Today’s increase in cases illustrates once again that while we have been flattening the curve, our battle against COVID-19 is far from over.
“We must maintain physical distancing, practice hygiene and self-isolation when ill. These are common-sense actions to ensure we don’t create a second wave of this serious disease, as we have seen in other countries once they have relaxed their stringent regulations.”
