By Laura Michell
Australia’s top medical officials are calling for the lockdown of six local government areas, including Hume, which have been identified as hotspots for community transmission of coronavirus.
The Australian Health Protection Principal Committee, which comprises the country’s chief health officers, released a statement on Sunday “strongly discouraging” travel to and from known virus hotspots.
“The Victorian government has identified the local government areas (LGAs) of Hume, Casey and Brimbank, Moreland, Cardinia and Darebin as the focus of current outbreaks of concern,” the statement said.
“The AHPPC strongly discourages travel to and from those areas until control of community transmission has been confirmed.”
The committee does not have the power to enforce a lockdown, but has made a recommendation to the state government.
In a tweet on Sunday night, Health Minister Jenny Mikakos urged residents of Hume, Brimbank, Casey, Darebin and Moreland to limit their movements “as much as possible”.
“If needed, Stay at Home Directions will be targeted to these hotspot areas,” she said.
“If you don’t live in a current hotspot, you’re not without risk. There’s community transmission in many areas…so matter where you live, please avoid crowds, practice physical distancing, get tested [and] stay home.”
Victoria Police has announced it will increase patrols of COVID-19 hotspots to ensure people are complying with quarantine orders.
Since June 1, there have been 18 new cases of coronavirus in Hume, 10 in Brimbank, eight in Casey, seven in Cardinia, and six in both Moreland and Darebin.
As of Sunday, there have been 82 COVID-19 cases recorded in Hume, of which nine remain active.
Last week, a childcare worker at Inspira Early Learning Centre in Gladstone Park tested positive for the virus, while St Dominic’s Primary School in Broadmeadows was closed for cleaning after two pupils returned positive tests.
The pupils have been linked to a family outbreak which is spread across four households in Broadmeadows, Pakenham and Coburg.
On Saturday, Premier Daniel Andrews said authorities were concerned about the number of virus cases across the state (210) that are believed the result of community transmission.
He said there was a concern that family gatherings may have contributed to the rise in cases, prompting the government to reduce the number of visitors to a house to five.
It comes as St Monica’s College in Epping was closed for the remainder of the term after a staff member tested positive for the virus.
In a note to parents on Sunday, principal Brian Hanley said the school would be closed for all students, with onsite learning to resume on Tuesday, July 14 for the start of term three.
“This closure will allow time for the school and [Department of Health and Human Services] to undertake a full risk assessment and appropriate cleaning of the college site to occur on the recommendation of DHHS,” the note said.
“All students are advised to remain at home while contact tracing occurs. They must limit movements to home-based activities and not attend public places.”
