- Victoria remains on track to re-open after only two new cases of COVID-19 were recorded in the community
- Tuesday’s results follow 11 new cases reported on Monday, which prompted concerns the two-week lockdown had failed to contain the outbreak
- However Acting Premier James Merlino says thanks the work of contact tracers, Melbourne’s restrictions should begin to lift later this week
- The Premier says all the new cases recorded today are linked to existing outbreaks, while a breakthrough in genomic testing has revealed a new link
- The Delta cluster, which involves the Indian COVID-19 strain, has finally been linked to a person entering Melbourne on May 8
Victoria remains on track to re-open after only two new cases of COVID-19 were recorded in the community.
Tuesday’s results follow 11 new cases of the virus being found on Monday, prompting concerns the two week lockdown had failed to contain the outbreak.
However Acting Premier James Merlino said following outstanding work by contact tracers, Melbourne’s restrictions should begin to lift later this week.
“Our contact tracing team has done exactly what we needed them to do,” Mr Merlino said.
“They have found the cases, they have tracked them down and they have isolated them.
“Thanks to their outstanding work we remain on track to later in this week announce further easings of restriction in regional Victoria and careful easing of restrictions in Melbourne.”
The Acting Premier confirmed all the new cases recorded today are linked to existing outbreaks, while a breakthrough in genomic testing has revealed a new link in one of the clusters.
Mr Merlino said authorities had finally linked the Delta cluster, which involves the Indian variant of COVID-19, to a person entering Melbourne on May 8.
“I can confirm today that we have now found a match between a returned traveller who entered hotel quarantine in Melbourne on May 8 and this cluster,” Mr Merlino said.
“While we have a genomic link, we do not currently have an epidemiological link, and further investigations are underway to see if we are able to establish any contact between the returned traveller and these families.
“There’s currently no definitive understanding of where transmission events may have occurred but we are investigating all possibilities from the plane to travel to the hotel.”