8 SEPT VIC
Victoria records 55 new coronavirus cases and eight deaths as Daniel Andrews defends roadmap from Hard Lockdown Stage 4 and Stage 3 in Regional Victoria to Covid Normal over up to 6 months.
Victorian coronavirus restriction questions answered on work, JobKeeper, surgery, masks, travel and kids
High-risk coronavirus locations revealed in Victoria
IMPROVING CONTACT TRACING IN VICTORIA
Salesforce to digitise Victoria's Covid contact tracing after federal criticism
<< IMO , it's pretty unfair to compare the contact tracing effectiveness in Victoria in the 2nd wave with the effectiveness of contact tracing in NSW, QLD, SA, NT & WA where the daily new cases at the peak of 2nd wave were only a few % those the Victorians needed to cope with , I agree with Prof Sutton that no existing contact tracing system currently in existance would have coped , even if Andriod contact tracing was made a compulsory automatic download & install and were made impossible to opt out off if you owned a phone with a wireless or Bluetooth connectivity which would have had to be turned on automatically and again unable to be opted out off for the duration of pandemic .
(Of cause some people would simply turn off their mobile phones or other mobile devices or simply leave them at home.).
Victoria launches 'suburban response units' to boost coronavirus contact tracing
QUARANTINE ISSUES CONTINUE
Victoria medical advisor underestimated role of objects in Covid quarantine hotel spread
Victoria coronavirus hotel quarantine guests left designated area to go to convenience store, documents reveal
HEALTH & AGED CARE
Coronavirus lockdown project has Shepparton students connecting with aboriginal community elders
Perth based aged care nurse volunteer sent to Victoria contracts coronavirus as six others enter quarantine in Melbourne
BREACHES
Woman who broke lockdown told police she travelled 75km for a KEBAB
Illegal gathering suspected as Colac sees second spike in COVID-19 cases
Victoria records 55 new coronavirus cases and eight deaths as Daniel Andrews defends roadmap from Hard Lockdown Stage 4 and Stage 3 in Regional Victoria to Covid Normal over up to 6 months.
https://www.msn.com/en-au/news/australia/victoria-records-55-new-coronavirus-cases-and-eight-deaths-as-daniel-andrews-defends-roadmap/ar-BB18Nki0?ocid=msedgdhpPremier Daniel Andrews has defended Victoria's roadmap against criticism from the Prime Minister, saying the "worst case scenario" would be opening the state just to close down again in a few weeks.
Victoria has reported 55 new coronavirus infections and eight further deaths on Tuesday, taking the state's COVID-19 death toll to 683.
The deaths include two men in their 60s, two men in their 80s, and one woman and three men in their 90s.
Six of those deaths were linked to aged care settings, Premier Daniel Andrews said.
The case numbers are a slight increase on Monday's 41 new infections, which was the lowest daily total recorded in Victoria in more than 10 weeks.
The Premier said no new cases were recorded in regional Victoria overnight, but urged people to continue getting tested if they had symptoms.
"I want to thank everyone across regional Victoria from big regional cities to the smallest of country towns — you are doing an amazing job."
About 8,700 coronavirus tests were processed across Victoria yesterday.
Mr Andrews praised the work of regional public health teams and said suburban equivalents would be established "at all points on the compass".
"Whether it is in the Colac outbreak [or] some cases down in the Latrobe Valley … those regional public health teams have been very, very successful," he said.
There are now 238 Victorians in hospital with coronavirus, including 22 people in intensive care.
Thirteen of those 22 people are on a ventilator.
Vic facing 'very, very different' challenge to NSW, Premier says
Under Victoria's roadmap out of restrictions, Melbourne needs to record a 14-day daily average below 50 cases in order to progress to the second step on September 28.
The 14-day average reported by the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) yesterday was 84.8 in metropolitan Melbourne and 5.3 in regional Victoria.
DHHS is expected to release today's 14-day average in its daily update this afternoon.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison yesterday criticised Victoria's roadmaps and said if the trigger points to lift restrictions also applied in New South Wales, then Sydney would be under curfew.
"The plan that was outlined yesterday, I hope, is a worst case scenario," Mr Morrison said yesterday.
But Mr Andrews defended the roadmap and said the data underpinning the steps was "clear cut".
"We're grateful for the partnership that we have but in my judgement … I think I've got some insight into what's happening here in our state," he said.
"The worst case scenario is you're open for three or four weeks because you pretend it's over when it isn't and then we're all back locked down again.
"The data, the doctors, the science [says] the only way to go is to do this in safe and steady steps."
Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton has said if case-number goals are met early, some restrictions might be relaxed earlier than indicated in the roadmap.
However, he said he did not want to make any promises, and said any changes would depend on data.
Victorian coronavirus restriction questions answered on work, JobKeeper, surgery, masks, travel and kids
https://www.msn.com/en-au/news/australia/your-victorian-coronavirus-restriction-questions-answered-on-work-jobkeeper-surgery-masks-travel-and-kids/ar-BB18NptN?ocid=msedgdhpIt's a plan with a lot of details.
Victoria's restriction roadmap for regional Victoria and Melbourne cover everything from who you can see and how, when people can return to work, when holidays might be allowed, and how long you will have to wait to have a haircut.
We've received a lot of questions from you, the ABC audience.
Here are some of the most frequently asked questions, answered.
When will I be able to return to the office?
In Melbourne, only permitted workers can attend worksites during steps one and two (with more worksites permitted in step two).
These additional worksites will largely be across construction, manufacturing, wholesale trade and warehousing, and postal distribution centres.
For people working from home, the Melbourne roadmap says they should continue to do so if they can during the third and fourth step of the recovery, with a phased return to many workplaces only beginning once the city reaches a 'COVID normal' level.
Victoria will only reach a COVID normal phase once it has gone 28 days with no new cases across the state. If the state reaches all of its targeted dates, and then doesn't see any new cases, this could occur in late December.
In regional Victoria, only permitted workers will be able to attend worksites during the first step of the roadmap restrictions.
From step two to step four, the Victorian Government will ask regional residents working from home to continue to do so if they can.
Like Melbourne, there will be a phased return to offices once the state reaches a COVID normal level.
Can I still get JobKeeper during Victoria's extended lockdown?
Federal Parliament passed an extension to the JobKeeper program at the start of the month.
It means JobKeeper will continue until March next year, with some changes to payments and eligibility.
The $1,500 fortnightly payment will be reduced to $1,200 in late September, and to $1,000 in early January for full-time workers.
Businesses will need to prove they're still in financial distress each quarter, and are down at least 30 per cent on pre-pandemic levels, to remain eligible for the program after September.
When will elective surgeries begin again?
The Victorian Government is yet to announce when elective surgeries will recommence.
Across the state, all category three and two elective surgery has been suspended to ensure hospitals have the beds, equipment and staff needed to treat coronavirus patients.
Urgent surgeries are still taking place and IVF treatment has been exempt from restrictions.
Premier Daniel Andrews yesterday told media the State Government would outline its plan for elective surgery when it was safe for these procedures to restart.
"That will also include a really significant blitz so that we can catch up on the time we have lost," he said.
"So that we can get back into that position where we are doing more surgery than we have ever done."
Do we still have to wear masks?
Masks remain compulsory in Victoria, outside of your own property.
Mr Andrews said masks were playing a part in the state's effort to bring down coronavirus case numbers.
"Yes, it's a pain, no-one enjoys it," he said.
"But compared to being locked at home, compared to people becoming gravely ill … I think masks are something we should continue to do."
When will country Victorians be allowed to travel domestically?
For residents in regional Victoria, travel to other parts of the state outside of Melbourne will be allowed once they reach step three.
Accommodation businesses will be able to open, with caps on bookings in line with social bubble restrictions.
Once regional Victoria reaches step four at the end of November at the earliest, residents will be able to travel throughout the state and accommodation businesses will be fully open.
For those keen to see family and friends in other states, the wait will likely be a bit longer and depends on when state borders reopen.
Last week, all states except Western Australia agreed to aim for borders to be open by Christmas, but there are no guarantees at this step.
#victoriacaseslookupEMBED
When will Melburnians be able to travel to regional Victoria?
Residents of Melbourne will have to wait until the city reaches step three before being able to leave the city.
That's when accommodation businesses will be able to reopen, too.
By the final step of the plan, Melbourne residents will be able to travel the state without any restrictions, and accommodation businesses will be fully open.
What care is allowed for children in the home?
Mr Andrews said for Melbourne residents, in home care would be allowed for children from September 28 if the city reached the second step by that date.
"There won't be a need for a permit — it will mirror, in essence, the arrangements that are going to apply in childcare in broader settings," Mr Andrews said.
Residents in regional Victoria will move to the second step of recovery on September 13, with childcare and early education open from that date.
Can we go to skate parks after September 13?
Mr Andrews said skate parks in Melbourne wouldn't reopen until the city entered step three of the recovery, which will be from October 26 at the earliest.
It will be an earlier reopening for outdoor gym equipment.
He said outdoor gym equipment in parks would reopen from the first step on September 13.
High-risk coronavirus locations revealed in Victoria
https://www.msn.com/en-au/news/australia/high-risk-coronavirus-locations-revealed-in-victoria/ar-BB18kMfT?ocid=msedgdhpA list of high-risk locations for contracting coronavirus in Victoria has been revealed by the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS).
The locations include places where someone infected with COVID-19 has attended.
The list has been published as part of the state's new data dashboard of coronavirus figures on the DHHS website.
The high-risk locations include:
"The locations listed are where there is a higher risk you may have been exposed to coronavirus (COVID-19)," it read.
"The information is based on advice provided to the department by people who are confirmed cases."
Risk locations will remain on the list for 14 days from the most recent exposure.
The locations are not a current risk to the public and people can visit them in line with current restrictions.
Health authorities have urged people who have visited the locations during the dates indicated to watch for coronavirus symptoms and get tested immediately if any symptoms present.
IMPROVING CONTACT TRACING IN VICTORIA
Salesforce to digitise Victoria's Covid contact tracing after federal criticism
https://www.msn.com/en-au/news/other/salesforce-to-digitise-victoria-s-covid-contact-tracing-after-federal-criticism/ar-BB18O7kd?ocid=msedgdhpVictoria is swapping pens, paper and fax machines for digitised contact tracing and localised health teams amid criticisms it has been too slow to come into line with tracing efforts in other states.
<< I'm SURPRISED the Vic Department of Health was still relying on out of date media and methods , and hadn't moved to digital technologies >>
As the state reported 55 new cases of Covid-19 and eight more deaths on Tuesday, the Victorian premier, Daniel Andrews, announced significant changes to the way the state has been tracing confirmed Covid-19 cases.
The government will establish five suburban coronavirus response teams based in the north, south, south-east and west of metropolitan Melbourne.
The exact locations will be determined after consultations, but health teams will be similar to those already in place in regional Victoria.
The government has also recruited tech giant Salesforce to provide an digitised system covering the whole contact tracing process – from test results to interviews, phone calls, and the management of cases and contacts.
“The Salesforce product … is about trying to consolidate and align many different platforms into one platform,” Andrews said. “That is happening now and just means that there is less pen and paper, there is less manual data entry.”
He said it will allow teams to be based remotely because they’ll be able to access the data from anywhere in the state.
Victoria’s chief health officer, Prof Brett Sutton, told 3AW radio that the system would be automated and people would receive a text notification when they tested positive.
Asked why Victoria hadn’t taken up the offer for the system in March, as Western Australia and South Australia did, Sutton said Victoria “didn’t know” what would be required and what the weaknesses of the existing system would be.
“It was also pretty clear that March was our busiest time in the first wave and you don’t change the entire system and retrain everyone right in the middle of it,” he said.
Sutton said fax machines and phone calls are still being used in GP practices where software doesn’t link with department systems.
Related: Victoria warned it must zero in on best measures to avoid another coronavirus shutdown
The automated system will run in parallel to the existing contact tracing efforts of 2,600 workers in the state to ensure a smooth transition.
More staff could be added to help boost efforts at a later date.
Andrews said Victoria would also use an IBM artificial intelligence product from the defence department to provide predictive modelling “that can help you pick up patterns that might not be necessarily obvious”.
Australian Defence Force members as well as senior officials from the state’s Department of Health and Human Services will travel to Sydney this week to compare the response in Victoria to New South Wales, to see if anything can be added to what Victoria is currently doing with contact tracing, Andrews said.
The announcement came after the federal government had criticised contact tracing efforts in Victoria as not being as good as those in NSW. Both the prime minister, Scott Morrison, and the federal health minister, Greg Hunt, said Victoria needed to make improvements in its contact tracing as the state moved through the roadmap to opening up.
“We want to help Victoria improve contact tracing, achieve the standards of NSW, and be able to bring Victorians out of lockdown and into greater freedoms progressively, but on a faster timetable with greater return to businesses, livelihoods and reducing the impact on mental health, which we’ve all heard over the last 48 hours has been absolutely crushing,” Hunt told Channel 7’s Sunrise.
Prior to today’s announcement, Andrews had rejected criticism of the state’s contact tracing efforts, pointing to the national benchmark data that shows Victoria is close to meeting the benchmarks on cases being contacted and interviewed within 24 hours, and close contacts being identified within 48 hours.
When asked why Victoria hadn’t brought about these changes before the second wave, and if it could have prevented much of the second wave, Andrews said he didn’t accept that and the process has been about continual improvement and learning from the other states.
“There’s no rulebook. There’s no playbook. There’s no guide here,” he said.
“This is something none of us have done before and therefore you all learn from each other and there are plenty of insights that we’ve provided to NSW and Queensland and South Australia.”
Sutton said he knows that in the initial outbreak from hotel quarantine in late May and early June, the cases were interviewed, told to isolate and their close contacts were contacted.
“But it escapes, and it’s gone to places that are linked by genetics with those original cases, but we don’t have an epidemiological link, and it was a super spreader event … I do know we followed up the cases and close contacts,” he said.
“I wish the system were as robust then as it is now … I can’t say it would have been stopped with a NSW system by any means.”
The online dashboard for Covid cases in Victoria will soon contain information about outbreaks in health workplaces, and the 14-day rolling average will be included in data for metropolitan Melbourne and regional Victoria, given it is the metric used to decide the easing of restrictions.
<< IMO , it's pretty unfair to compare the contact tracing effectiveness in Victoria in the 2nd wave with the effectiveness of contact tracing in NSW, QLD, SA, NT & WA where the daily new cases at the peak of 2nd wave were only a few % those the Victorians needed to cope with , I agree with Prof Sutton that no existing contact tracing system currently in existance would have coped , even if Andriod contact tracing was made a compulsory automatic download & install and were made impossible to opt out off if you owned a phone with a wireless or Bluetooth connectivity which would have had to be turned on automatically and again unable to be opted out off for the duration of pandemic .
(Of cause some people would simply turn off their mobile phones or other mobile devices or simply leave them at home.).
Victoria launches 'suburban response units' to boost coronavirus contact tracing
https://www.msn.com/en-au/news/other/victoria-launches-suburban-response-units-to-boost-coronavirus-contact-tracing/ar-BB18NQHl?ocid=msedgdhpThe Victorian Government has announced it will use artificial intelligence and five new 'suburban response units' to bolster its coronavirus contact tracing efforts after the Federal Government criticised its response to outbreaks.
Premier Daniel Andrews announced the initiatives as Victoria reported 55 new coronavirus infections and eight further deaths.
The Premier said the artificial intelligence tool the state was introducing was an IBM product based on Australian Defence Force science.
"It is used for other things and that is a matter for the ADF. But it has been adapted — it has been retro-fit, if you like — to give us some of that predictive capacity that can help you pick up patterns that might not necessarily be obvious," he said.
"That is in development now."
Yesterday, Mr Andrews said while interviews were read over by members of the contact tracing team, artificial intelligence could scour the documents to find links across weeks or months.
He said contact tracing needed to be a mix of both high-tech and "common sense, old-fashioned stuff" like doorknocking, calling, and completing interviews.
"Machine learning, artificial intelligence, predictive stuff that's not built for a pandemic, but is really valuable in these circumstances," he said today.
"It lets you see patterns that would take thousands and thousands of hours of staff going through things, so all that time can be saved."
The suburban teams will be built over the coming weeks and will "give rapid local insights and leverage community connections to help keep localised outbreaks contained", the Government said in a statement.
The Premier said teams would mirror those already set up in regional centres and would be located in the north, south, south-east and west of Melbourne.
"We will make sure that we have got those local teams, who I think come into their own when there [are] very low numbers, but the tolerance for keeping those numbers low is also very, very small," he said.
"That will be about trying to provide the very best and localised response, not to hundreds of cases — that is appropriately centralised — but to very small numbers of cases in local areas, in local suburbs."
Victoria has been criticised for its contact tracing, with the Federal Government on Sunday saying restrictions were no substitute for improving contact tracing, and the Prime Minister describing NSW's contact tracing efforts as the "gold standard".
However, epidemiologist Rania MacIntyre has said NSW would be in the same boat as Victoria if it had a similar surge in cases, which reached more than 700 new daily infections at the peak of the state's second wave.
Colac outbreak response shows strength of local model
Jeroen Weimar, the former Public Transport Victoria boss who is now commander of community engagement and testing at the Department of Health and Human Services, said he had been working closely with regional public health partners over the past six weeks to devolve contact tracing.
"We do that because they know their communities, they know their environments and they are able to get on the ground far quicker by being close to the action," he said.
He said in recent weeks Barwon Health had dealt with 429 cases, leading to some 5,400 close contacts.
"The strength of that model is illustrated, if you look at a situation like the Colac outbreak," he said.
"Just two positive cases in that community led to 25 close contacts also contracting COVID.
"What was important about the Barwon Health response was that all of those close contacts were already quarantined because they had been able to undertake such swift close-contact matching, such swift contact tracing, that anyone who tested positive was already safely self-isolating, and there has been no further knock-on impact to the wider community."
Victoria's contact tracing team is made up of 2,600 people. NSW's team of 300 make up to 2,000 calls a day.
A comparision with NSW
NSW has a more decentralised health system of 15 districts, allowing for more local knowledge to inform the outbreak response.
The Premier was asked why it took five months to develop the suburban contact tracing teams.
He said it was about "continuous improvement" and rejected the suggestion that having them in place earlier would have lessened the severity of the second wave.
"The only way to avoid this sort of discussion is to blindly say: 'This system is perfect and it can't get any better'. I'm not saying that. I've never, ever said that," he said.
He was asked if Victoria's contact tracing teams had been disbanded between the first and second wave.
"Part of the problem … is when you believe, to the best of your judgement, to the best of the advice, that you had it beaten, only to then [find], clearly, we hadn't, you have to learn from that," he said.
Mr Andrews added that NSW teams had helped Victorian contact tracers when cases were at their peak.
"You all learn from each other, and there are plenty of insights that we've given to New South Wales and Queensland and South Australia," he said.
The Premier said the state was working with software company Salesforce on a new case and contact management system which would result in less "pen and paper" manual data entry.
The system will cover the whole program of contact tracing, from a positive result coming in to interviews, follow-up phone calls and clearing cases, and is being set up in parallel to the current process, "to ensure there is no dip in performance as we make improvements", the Government said in a statement.
The Premier said a more "devolved" response would allow regional and suburban teams to enter information into the same platform so "everyone can have line of sight of the same data ... in real time".
QUARANTINE ISSUES CONTINUE
Victoria medical advisor underestimated role of objects in Covid quarantine hotel spread
https://www.msn.com/en-au/news/australia/victoria-medical-advisor-underestimated-role-of-objects-in-covid-quarantine-hotel-spread/ar-BB18O1zm?ocid=msedgdhpDr Simon Crouch, a senior medical advisor to the health department, told the state’s inquiry into hotel quarantine that fomite transmission – when diseases are passed on via objects – played a “larger role” than initially thought.
Crouch was the team leader of outbreak management for the Rydges and Stamford hotel outbreaks in Melbourne.
s of 1 May, Crouch wrote that fomite transmission was “not a significant source of transmission for local outbreaks”, the inquiry heard. But on Tuesday, he told the inquiry he had revised that opinion.
“This was prior to the Rydges [outbreak] and the experience of the Rydges and Stamford hotels has changed my opinion on that more,” he said.
“As of 1 May, I was aware fomite transmission was a possibility ... but we didn’t have much evidence from the cases and outbreaks we had seen at that point in Victoria that it had played a significant role.
“However, since then, it does appear that fomite transmission plays a larger role than I would have given it credit at that point.”
The inquiry also heard Crouch did not know “the precise manner” in which the outbreak squads at the two hotels managed it on the ground, despite him being the coordinator of both.
The counsel assisting the inquiry, Ben Ihle, asked him: “How is that you have said in your statement that you are not aware of the precise manner in which the squad performs its functions or the protocols under which they operate?”
Crouch said that the broad protocols were known, but that the “fine details” of what the squad did “on the ground” was under another coordinator and not within his remit.
“You, as the outbreak management team leader, were not aware of the precise manner in which the squad performs its functions, and you do not know, for example, the protocols under which they operate,” Ihle said.
Related: Victoria's hotel quarantine allowed guests out to attend funerals and visit sick relatives
Earlier on Tuesday, it was revealed a hotel quarantine guest had allegedly entered a convenience store outside their hotel. Victoria police tendered documents they had been sent, including photographs, that appeared to show guests leaving their facilities at the Pan Pacific Melbourne in South Wharf.
The Victoria police commander, Tim Tully, was sent multiple emails by a former police officer who raised concerns about how private security was managing hotel quarantine at the Pan Pacific.
One email from 15 April stated: “Nigel and Tim. We have got the quarantined people out again this morning. One has tried to enter a convenience store on-site.”
The former officer also sent through multiple photos that allegedly showed the breaches.
Victoria coronavirus hotel quarantine guests left designated area to go to convenience store, documents reveal
https://www.msn.com/en-au/news/other/victoria-coronavirus-hotel-quarantine-guests-left-designated-area-to-go-to-convenience-store-documents-reveal/ar-BB18NxUb?ocid=msedgdhpVictoria Police met with private security contractors two weeks into the bungled hotel quarantine program to discuss how to "better coordinate" security, internal emails have revealed.
The emails, included in documents provided to Victoria's hotel quarantine inquiry on Monday, showed the "forum" was labelled a high priority by police.
It was arranged after a former police officer expressed concerns to his former colleagues about how staff in one hotel were guarding guests.
The former officer, whose name is redacted from the documents, wrote to Victoria Police Commander Tim Tully over concerns returned guests appeared to be breaching the designated outdoor area for exercise at the Pan Pacific Hotel.
"Tim, we have quarantined people out again this morning, you will see one has tried to enter the convenience store," the former officer wrote.
In a separate email, with attached pictures, the former officer wrote: "I happen (sic) to see one guest go down Rona Walk and stand in front of urban hub (sic)."
"The guard went and spoke to him and he went back into the exclusion area."
In a later email, he told Commander Tully a guest had accessed a cafe.
"From my observations the exclusion zones are being poorly managed," he wrote.
"We even saw what looked like someone with a takeaway coffee."
The pictures of the quarantined guests exercising were forwarded to Assistant Commissioner Mick Grainger and then passed on to senior bureaucrats at the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS).
On April 14, Assistant Commissioner Grainger contacted a senior DHHS official and said a meeting between the hotel security and police should be organised.
An email the next day from Commander Tully indicated he would inform DHHS about the issues before the meeting, which was with Unified Security, Wilson Security and MSS Security.
"I will forward the pictures we received today so they have direct line of sight of this, it may mean DHHS directly engages with security to address the immediate concerns before it becomes an issue in the media," the email said.
Later emails from a DHHS official noted Victoria Police had concerns over how "security staff are implementing the DHHS exercise fresh air policy".
After the meeting, the officers agreed there were concerns around exercise but determined police would not be required to be on site at all hours.
In giving evidence at the inquiry last week, Commander Tully told a hearing there were no requests for police to be at the hotels at all hours.
Documents reveal five attempts or threats of suicide
An incident report sheet provided to the inquiry on Monday revealed there were five reports of "attempt or threats of suicide".
Commander Tully told the hearing "there was a very low number of significant incidents".
Three attempts or threats of suicide were reported at the Travelodge Hotel in Docklands, one was listed at the Four Points by Sheraton and another at the Novotel on Collins Street.
The incident report also said there was a brawl at Crown Metropol and six separate assaults across the quarantine hotels.
Meeting minutes show difficulty tracking international arrivals
The documents provided to the inquiry on Monday also revealed issues in accounting for returned travellers in the hotels.
In meeting minutes, taken by Emergency Management Victoria, it was noted the Department of Jobs (DJPR) was having difficulty in "reconciling" passengers.
"DJPR made progress yesterday to reconcile eight people. There are final gaps still urgently requiring DHHS support," the minutes said.
"This includes six people who were recorded on flights but not in hotels, and five people recorded in hotels who were not listed on the passenger manifest. DJPR are not able to resolve with the data they have access to."
HEALTH & AGED CARE
Coronavirus lockdown project has Shepparton students connecting with aboriginal community elders
https://www.msn.com/en-au/news/australia/coronavirus-lockdown-project-has-shepparton-students-connecting-with-community-elders/ar-BB18NUPp?ocid=msedgdhpNew friendships and strong bonds are being formed by a lockdown mentorship program in northern Victoria, where high school students are connecting with older community members online.
The project, called Gen Connection, buddies students in years 9, 11 and 12 at Greater Shepparton Secondary College with senior members of the community.
Students phone their older mentor twice a week to connect and also gain information about their buddy's life in order to write their biography for a school assignment.
Yorta Yorta elder Aunty Pam Pederson, who is aged in her 70s, has formed a special bond with her buddy, Year 9 student Muna Brown.
"It's so great for the young ones to do something like this, involving the elders and having a yarn," Aunty Pam said.
"It allows us to form a very good relationship like I have with Muna. He's wonderful."
Muna began communicating with Aunty Pam about a month ago when students started remote learning.
"I really enjoy when he gives me a call," Aunty Pam said.
"I just hope he learns from me and gets a lot out of it."
Muna spends his time with Aunty Pam asking questions for her biography, which will include his illustrations.
However, Aunty Pam hopes their relationship will continue after he submits the assignment.
"It's an excellent program. I'm looking at this project as more than just answering these questions," she said.
"I'd like to help Muna further with his schooling and his goals."
The pair also discuss their mutual love of AFL and Aunty Pam encourages Muna to develop his leadership skills.
"I'm writing about where she grew up, her house and where she lives, how things were back in the day," Muna said.
"She also goes on about how Carlton are pretty good. She teaches me to do well and do my work."
Connecting and sharing stories
The project, developed by the Lighthouse Project and Shepparton South Rotary Club, initially included around 30 students and seniors but has since expanded.
"To date, I've probably got about 55 young people that are participating," said Amy Robinson, strategic project coordinator for Greater Shepparton Lighthouse Project.
"We're looking for more mentors to come on board; we have plenty of young people who are keen to get involved moving forward."
It all began when a Year 11 teacher at the school approached Ms Robinson with the idea during the first stage of lockdown.
"It's all about just connecting and sharing stories," Ms Robinson said.
"It's a fantastic example of how communities can rally together to support young kids that are struggling to engage during remote learning.
"It also has the dual benefit of supporting older people who are feeling isolated during these trying times."
The Lighthouse Project is also collecting data as part of the project. Students fill out an online form rating their feelings of connectedness and happiness after speaking with their mentor.
"We've actually got data overtime to show the project's aims are being achieved," Ms Robinson said.
"It's one of the things we're really proud of."
Perth based aged care nurse volunteer sent to Victoria contracts coronavirus as six others enter quarantine in Melbourne
https://www.msn.com/en-au/news/australia/wa-nurse-sent-to-victoria-contracts-coronavirus-as-six-others-enter-quarantine-in-melbourne/ar-BB18Oot1?ocid=msedgdhpA WA nurse who went to Melbourne to help with the city's coronavirus outbreak has been diagnosed with COVID-19, while six of her WA colleagues have been designated close contacts and quarantined.
WA Health Minister Roger Cook said the department was still trying to work out if it was best to quarantine the group in Melbourne or return them to Perth.
He said seven nurses on one team working in aged care had been tested on Sunday and one, a woman, had returned a positive result.
"Obviously we are doing everything possible to assist our nurse and the rest of the team," he said.
"The nurse has mild symptoms such as a dry cough but is otherwise fairly comfortable."
He said she was self-isolating in a special hotel known as Hotel For Heroes, while her colleagues were in isolation in a different hotel.
But Australian Nursing Federation (ANF) state secretary Mark Olson wants the seven nurses returned to Perth.
"At this stage they've been told they'll have to quarantine for two weeks in Melbourne," he said.
"Then they'll face a further two weeks of quarantine back in Perth.
"The nurses were told when they left Perth [that] were they to contract COVID-19 they'd be brought back to serve out their quarantine in WA.
"They all just want to come home."
Families worried, ANF says
Mr Olson said many other people who had contracted COVID-19 had been brought back to WA.
"Their families are concerned for them, they're on the other side of the country and they're not happy about the fact that the [WA] Government doesn't have any plans at this stage to get these nurses home," he said.
The group had been in Melbourne for more than three weeks.
Mr Olson said the aged care facility the nurses were working at had "essentially lost all its staff".
"I think it's hard to appreciate for those of us in Western Australia, where things are relatively normal, the impact that the pandemic has had, not just in the aged care sector but right through the public sector hospitals," he said.
"Elective surgery has been cut back or cancelled because they're needing the nurses to replace entire workforces in aged care areas."
Mr Cook said he did not know if an offer had been made to fly the nurses back if they contracted COVID-19 or needed to isolate.
"The Department of Health is currently working through the logistics of the best course of action for our team, whether to quarantine them in Melbourne or return them to Perth," he said.
He said 19 WA nurses in total had gone to assist in Melbourne, plus three support staff.
BREACHES
https://www.msn.com/en-au/news/australia/victoria-records-55-new-coronavirus-cases-and-eight-deaths-as-daniel-andrews-defends-roadmap/ar-BB18Nki0?ocid=msedgdhpEarly morning ice cream leads to fine
Overnight, police issued 171 fines for breaching coronavirus restrictions, including 31 for failing to wear a face covering and 67 for breaching Melbourne's curfew.
Two women who were caught walking and eating ice cream at 2:00am, but told police they thought it was 6:00am, were among those fined.
Another woman was fined for being out after curfew after driving "from Geelong to Melbourne to buy a kebab".
Woman who broke lockdown told police she travelled 75km for a KEBAB
https://www.msn.com/en-au/news/melbourne/woman-who-broke-lockdown-told-police-she-travelled-75km-for-a-kebab/ar-BB18NKeU?ocid=msedgdhpA hungry woman caught breaking Melbourne's strict Stage Four coronavirus lockdowns told police she had driven 75km from her home to buy a kebab.
The woman was pulled over by officers in Werribee, south-west of Melbourne, on Monday night after the city's 8pm to 5am curfew was in effect.
When questioned, she told the officers she was from Geelong and had traveled the lengthy drive to Melbourne in search of the snack and was then going to visit her boyfriend in Werribee.
The woman was one of 171 people fined in Victoria for breaching the Chief Health Officer directions in Victoria in the last 24 hours.
Two women were also fined after they were caught out walking and eating ice-cream at 2am, telling police they thought it was 6am.
And a man was fined who was found cycling in South Melbourne after curfew who told police said he was going to visit his 'semi-intimate partner'.
In total the fines included 31 penalties for failing to wear a face covering when leaving home for one of the four approved reasons.
The four approved reason are to shop for food and necessary goods, to provide care, for compassionate reasons or to seek medical treatment, to exercise or for outdoor recreation, for work or education, if you can't do it from home.
Also 21 fines were dished out at vehicle checkpoints in Victoria and 67 people were fined for breaching Melbourne's curfew.
Across the state on Monday 21,482 vehicles were stopped at vehicle checkpoints, while 3,704 spot checks on people at houses, businesses and public places were conducted.
Since March 21 there have been 396,289 spot checks performed by authorities to ensure COVID-19 restrictions are being adhered to.
On Sunday, Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews announced Stage Four restrictions would be extended for two weeks until the end of September.
Residents have become increasingly frustrated at the lockdown measures with protests breaking out on Saturday in Melbourne's CBD.
Illegal gathering suspected as Colac sees second spike in COVID-19 cases
https://www.msn.com/en-au/news/australia/illegal-gathering-suspected-as-colac-sees-second-spike-in-covid-19-cases/ar-BB18OkrJ?ocid=msedgdhpAn illegal gathering is believed to be at the centre of a south-west Victorian town's second coronavirus spike.
Colac's second outbreak began after a man became infected with the virus while in a Melbourne hospital undergoing treatment.
Unaware that he was infected, the man returned home and spread the virus to his family.
From there, the virus spread through the community, leading to the temporary closure of two major workplaces — a Bulla ice cream factory and the Australian Lamb Company abattoir, which was the site of the town's first outbreak.
It is understood an illegal gathering on August 29th facilitated the spread through the community.
This has led to active COVID-19 cases in the Colac Otway Shire jumping from eight, in the days prior to the party, to 25 on September 8.
Police are investigating the matter but have declined to comment.
The ABC understands police only found out about the party after the fact.
No complaints were made about it at the time.
Police are yet to issue fines due to concerns doing so might limit the amount of information partygoers are willing to give to contact tracers.
The second spike follows an earlier cluster that sprang up around the Australian Lamb Company abattoir and rapidly grew to almost 100 cases.