Victoria records 24 new local coronavirus cases for second day in a row

The new cases came from nearly 40,000 tests.

Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews during a press conference in Melbourne

Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews during a press conference in Melbourne Source: AAP

Victoria has recorded 24 new locally acquired cases of COVID-19 for the second day in a row.

Twenty of the new infections announced on Wednesday are linked to known outbreaks and 18 have been in isolation for the entirety of their infectious period.

The new caseload came from 39,832 tests.

There are 246 active cases in the state and more than 520 exposure sites.

It comes as the state's police union boss says officers don't want to enforce a ban on playgrounds.

Police Association Victoria Secretary Wayne Gatt has expressed concern about the lasting effect of enforcing "unpopular and deeply restrictive rules for a prolonged period" on community views of the force.
"Police are now tasked with enforcing a curfew that no one has welcomed, and to prevent families from going to playgrounds that bring them joy," he wrote in an opinion piece published in the Herald Sun on Wednesday.

"I hope that our members do not have to ever actively enforce this ban on playgrounds."

Outdoor playgrounds, basketball hoops, skate parks, and exercise equipment in Melbourne were closed this week in a bid to contain the state's Delta variant outbreak.

The city's 9pm to 5am curfew has also been reimposed this week.

About 50 children in Victoria aged 10 and under are fighting the virus, including a child in intensive care who is in a stable condition.

Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton said his team was probing a potential case of playground transmission, along with a "more definitive" link between students from different classes who walked home together.

Authorities have been urging anyone with COVID-19 symptoms in the Bayside, Glen Eira and Port Phillip areas to come forward for testing, due to the emergence of infections in the area that cannot be linked to known outbreaks.

There are 15 infections linked to St Kilda, six of which are being treated as mystery cases.
An illegal engagement party held in St Kilda East last week has contributed to some of the spread, but COVID-19 Commander Jeroen Weimar says there is no connection between the cases apart from geography.

"We have within that cluster accountants, we have architects, we have a sex worker, we have members of the Orthodox Jewish community and a pizza guy who works in a pizza shop," he said.

"The only thing that connects them at this point in time is some association, particularly in that St Kilda area."

Contact tracers believe they are yet to identify the index case in the outbreak, Mr Weimar says.

A drive-through and walk-up testing centre has been set up at the St Kilda Palais Theatre car park.

Meanwhile, the state government has launched a new ad campaign urging people with cold and flu symptoms to get tested for COVID-19.

According to new data, many people still assume that their cold and flu symptoms are not related to COVID-19 and less than half the number of people who experience such symptoms get tested.

With AAP.

SBS is providing live translations of daily New South Wales and Victoria COVID-19 press conferences in various languages. 
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3 min read
Published 18 August 2021 8:56am
Updated 18 August 2021 2:33pm



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