New COVID-19 cases spark reintroduction of mask rules

MASKS will again have to be worn indoors from 5pm tonight (Thursday, December 31) following the discovery of six locally-acquired coronavirus cases in Melbourne.

Speaking at a press conference this morning, Acting Premier Jacinta Allan imposed new restrictions for Victorians celebrating the new year, with a new limit of 15 visitors to households and reinstated mandatory masks at all indoor venues.

“We do apologise to people who have put plans in place, who was looking forward to having events in their home, or in other people’s homes, but this is a necessary step,” she said.

“If you are planning to leave your home at the moment, we ask people to carry their masks with them, we are now asking them to wear a mask if they are indoors in any location which is not their private home.”

Another three locally acquired coronavirus cases were identified in Victoria this morning, on top of three women whose positive tests ended a two-month streak.

Two women in their 40s and a woman in her 70s from Mitcham, Hallam and Mentone were revealed last night as having tested positive. Two of the women are family members.

It’s believed the cases are tied to outbreaks in Sydney.

One of the women and two close contacts attended the Smile Buffalo Thai restaurant in Blackrock on December 21, as did a returned traveller from NSW, Ms Allan said.

That traveller returned to NSW before border permits were put in place and is being tested as a matter of urgency.

Anyone who was at the restaurant on that night is being urged to get tested immediately.

The new Blackrock exposure site is on top of a series of locations released by the health department late yesterday, with exposure dates between Boxing Day and December 28.

They include Katlialo restaurant in Eaton Mall in Oakleigh; Mentone/Parkdale Beach; Century City Walk and Mocha Jo’s in Glen Waverley; Kmart, Big W Target, Millers, King of Gifts and Lo Costa stores at the Fountain Gate Shopping Centre, and the Holy Family Catholic church at Doveton.

Contact tracing has identified more than 50 primary close contacts of the women, who are isolating at home.

Victoria’s testing chief Jeroen Weimar expects more close contacts to emerge.

“We have been in this position before and we are deploying our full outbreak approach around these cases,” he said.

“We always knew this virus had us in a precarious position and we need to make sure we do everything we can to stamp out any further transmissions.”

Victoria has also announced tighter border restrictions with NSW, adding to bans on the northern beaches, Greater Sydney and Central Coast.

From tomorrow (Friday, January 1) anyone travelling from Wollongong and the Blue Mountains in NSW will not be allowed to enter Victoria.

Anyone already in Victoria who travelled to those regions since December 27 should get tested and stay at home until their results come back.

Until yesterday, Victoria had been on a 60-day streak of no locally acquired coronavirus cases.

Despite the run, celebrations for the new year in Victoria were already going to be muted tonight.

“It has been a very hard year and we have done an incredible thing as Victorians – let’s not risk it as we celebrate the end of 2020,” Police Minister Lisa Neville said.

For the latest coronavirus updates, head to dhhs.vic.gov.au/coronavirus.

– WITH AUSTRALIAN ASSOCIATED PRESS