- Victoria has had its worst day yet in terms of new coronavirus cases, recording 532 more cases in the last 24 hours
- Another six people have also died after contracting COVID-19, bringing the state’s death toll to 77
- Five of the deaths were linked to aged care homes in Victoria, where COVID-19 has run rampant, decimating the elderly populations
- Meantime, officials are pleading for anyone feeling sick to stay home, with hardship grants of $1500 available for casuals who don’t have sick leave
- The Premier said, “you simply can’t go to work if you have symptoms” and warned the virus won’t end until people properly isolate
Victoria has recorded 532 new cases of coronavirus in the past 24 hours, a new daily record for case numbers.
Another six people have also died in the state after contracting COVID-19, bringing the state’s death toll to 77.
The latest deaths include a female in her 90s, a female in her 80s, a man in his 80s, a female in her 70s, a male in his 70s, and a male in his 50s.
Five of the deceased were from aged-care homes, and Premier Daniel Andrews said it was concerning how many cases were linked to the wider sector.
“Five of those six deaths are connected to outbreaks in aged care. Beyond that, there are 4542 total active cases, 683 active cases connected in some way to aged care,” he said.
Chief Health Officer, Brett Sutton, said when the virus makes its way into these homes, people die.
“That’s an inescapable fact in these settings. Where there are outbreaks in aged care, the mortality is extremely high,” he said.
Stay home
In order to stop the ever-rising number of cases, Premier Andrews asked all workers to stay home if they feel even the slightest bit sick.
“The key message today for every single Victorian regardless of where they work and regardless of where they live — you simply can’t go to work if you have symptoms,” he said.
“You can’t go to work if you feel sick even mildly. You’ve got to come forward and get tested,” he added.
In order to stop people going to work while sick, Victoria has begun offering $1500 hardship payments to workers who don’t have sufficient sick leave.
A $300 payment is also available for those who have to isolate while they await their COVID-19 test results.
Young people warned
The Premier also released a series of videos on social media at the weekend, aimed at dispelling the myth that coronavirus only affects the elderly.
Currently, there are two children and eight people under the age of 30 in hospitals with the potentially deadly virus.
He also encouraged everyone to stay home wherever possible, in order for the current stage-three lockdowns to work.
“This is what is driving these numbers up and the lockdown will not end until people stop going to work with symptoms and instead go and get tested because they have symptoms,” Premier Andrews said.
“It’s not a matter of blame, it’s not a matter of judgment, these are the facts and unless we see a change, then we’re going to continue to see these numbers at unacceptably high levels,” he added.
The lockdowns have been in place across Melbourne for almost three weeks, and are due to end after six weeks, though the restrictions are very likely to be extended.