Benjamin Millar
A Melton couple has sparked a health scare across three Australian states after testing positive for COVID-19 following a road-trip from Victoria through country NSW to Queensland.
Queensland Health reported two cases of COVID-19 on Wednesday in the Victorian couple, who had driven from Victoria to Queensland’s Sunshine Coast.
The couple, from Melton, left home early on June 1.
The woman developed COVID-19 symptoms on June 3, indicating they may have been infectious when they left their Melton home.
Victorian contact tracers are working to pinpoint the source of the infection, with investigations revealing one of the cases checked in near the Craigieburn Central shopping centre on May 23.
There have been 9 positive COVID-19 cases who have visited this shopping centre during the current outbreak.
Following completion of the interview process by Queensland Health and NSW Health, the Victorian Department of Health commenced case interviews with the pair late on Thursday afternoon.
Victoria was notified of four new locally acquired cases of COVID-19 in Reservoir overnight, taking to 78 the number of active cases in Victoria – 64 locally acquired and 14 acquired overseas.
The total number of confirmed cases in Victoria since the beginning of the pandemic is 20,654.
Meanwhile Victoria’s current restrictions will be further eased from 11.59pm tonight following a two-week snap lockdown.
In metropolitan Melbourne, face masks must be worn indoors and outdoors, unless in a private home or unless an exception applies.
The five reasons to leave home will be scrapped and the existing 10-kilometre travel limit will be increased to 25 kilometres.
Work, education, care and caregiving and getting vaccinated are the only reasons to go beyond the 25-kilometre zone and travel into regional Victoria to visit family and friends or take a holiday remains off-limits.
