Melbourne school shut after student tests postive for coronavirus

NewsColony
Melbourne school shut after student tests postive for coronavirus

A school in Melbourne’s northwest has closed after a student tested positive to coronavirus, a week after a teacher was confirmed to be infected.

Victoria’s Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton said on Friday Keilor Downs Secondary College will be closed for cleaning after a student tested positive.

“The student probably was infectious on-site on the 26th of this month and was notified yesterday,” he told reporters.

Earlier this week, two Sydney schools were closed after two students tested positive.

The Melbourne student was associated with a cluster of five members of a household who tested positive to the virus on Thursday.

Professor Sutton said there is no evidence of a link between the student and the staff member who tested positive last Friday, as the teacher had no exposure to the school site.

However, a St Albans Secondary College student and six students at Taylors Lakes Secondary College have been identified as close contacts of the infected student, who attended a VET class while infected.

Those students, as well as any other known contacts, will enter a 14-day quarantine but their schools have not closed.

Most students have returned to schools around the country this week.

AAP

Professor Sutton said a mobile testing site will be established in Keilor Downs.

“This student has acquired it from a broader family group, but how that family group acquired it is under investigation,” he said.

“It might indicate that there are some low levels of transmission in or around Keilor Downs.”

There were seven new COVID-19 cases recorded in Victoria on Friday.

Three cases were discovered through routine testing, two were people in hotel quarantine after returning from overseas and two are still under investigation.

It brings the state’s total number of cases to 1634 after a case was removed from the tally because of a data issue. About 70 cases remain active.

Premier Daniel Andrews said despite signs the spread of the virus was slowing in the state, it was important people who have been working from home keep working from home.

“If everyone tries to get back to office blocks and end their working from home arrangements we’ll simply have too many people in close contact that will spread the virus,” he said.

“That will cause enormous challenges and could potentially lead to a second wave. That’s what we’re trying to avoid.”

From Monday, the obligation for employers to keep their staff working from home will now be included in the Chief Health Officer’s directions.

It means businesses could be fined for not enabling staff to continue working from home.

“I don’t think we’ll get to that,” Mr Andrews said.

Almost 6000 Victorians have been fined for breaking coronavirus restrictions, triple the rate of any other state.

Source: SBS

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