DR DOUG QUARRY, MBBS, MSc (Community Health)
- About 300,000 residents of ten Melbourne postcodes have spent their first night and day of a four-week lockdown aimed at stamping out several coronavirus clusters
- 66 new cases were confirmed today
- More Victorian suburbs may be joining those in already lockdown. The suburbs most likely include Whittlesea (65 cases), Melton (62 cases), Wyndham (75 cases) and Casey (110 cases).
Details of the lockdown
• Stay-at-home orders have been issued for ten postcodes in Melbourne
• There is NO advisory to wear masks
• Schools will remain open
Causes of the Melbourne outbreak
- 1. Breach of protocols in quarantine hotels
* Since early in the pandemic, thousands of returning overseas travellers have spent a fortnight quarantined in hotel rooms as part of efforts to contain the spread of the coronavirus
* A breach of infection protocols allowed staff at these hotels to become infected and spread COVID to their families. It has been reported that the guards allow people under quarantine to swap rooms and even that guards have had sexual relations with people in quarantine.
* An enquiry into the spread from quarantine hotels has begun- 2. It has been suggested that COVID communications were not satisfactorily multi-cultural:
* COVID information not translated
* COVID information not given by people respected in the community- This led to:
+ People not remaining in self-quarantine
+ People not respecting physical distancing
+ Large family gatherings
SOME EXPLANATORY CHARTS
The daily number of confirmed cases in Australia has been rising recently. These are due to the outbreak in Melbourne.
