Australians have been warned to avoid travelling to Melbourne as Victoria continues to suffer an unexpected spike in COVID-19 cases.
Victoria recorded another 16 new cases on Monday, prompting the New South Wales government to warn against all travel to parts of the state.
Over the weekend, 44 new cases of COVID-19 were diagnosed in the state, after Australia enjoyed weeks of single digit transmissions.
Officials have since said residents should avoid all travel to affected areas in Victoria – and said even metropolitan Melbourne was high risk.
NSW premier Gladys Berejiklian said the spike was ‘a wake up call for all of us’.
‘At this stage, the advice is do not travel to those hot spots,’ she told reporters on Monday.
‘Do not go to the hot spots. Reconsider your plans. Reconsider what you’re doing.
Victorians are seen wearing face masks as they leave Melbourne’s Flinders Street Station on Sunday (pictured) as cases grow across Victoria
‘But certainly, Melbourne is a discretion. We would recommend people not at this stage travel to Melbourne unless they have to.
‘The strong recommendation from the New South Wales Government, including our health officials is – do not travel to those hot spots at all. And consider your travel to Melbourne at this stage.’
Victoria and NSW are the only two states not to bring in any border restrictions during the pandemic, with this new outbreak threatening others opening up.
The border between the two states will not be closed at this stage, Ms Berejiklian confirmed.
The areas with a known spike in cases are Hume, Caseyand Brimbank, Moreland, Cardinia and Darebin, but the public are being urged to be cautious across the state.
Australians have been warned to stay away from six council in Melbourne: Hume, Casey and Brimbank, Moreland, Cardinia and 성남출장안마 Darebin
Testing done on Monday showed 16 new cases of coronavirus in Victoria, 부천출장안마 including a toddler.
‘NSW Health strongly discourages travel to and from areas of Victoria with COVID-19 outbreaks until control of community transmission has been confirmed,’ it said in a statement on Monday morning.
‘There are also locally acquired cases of COVID-19 reported from other areas of metropolitan Melbourne.
‘So we urge anyone who is planning to visit Victoria to keep up to date with NSW Health and Victorian Health travel advisories.’
Cleaners are seen at The Hangar in Melbourne on June 21 (pictured) but the AFL match was postponed after a player contracted coronavirus
Victoria has been planning on easing several restrictions on Monday, but this was stopped due to the sudden spike in cases.
Health Minister Jenny Mikakos confirmed there were 1,847 cases in the state after five were removed due to duplication, making it a net increase of 11 cases on Monday.
The state’s COVID-19 case numbers are now the highest they’ve been in more than two months after six days of double-digit growth.
‘We currently have nine patients in hospital, including two in intensive care,’ Ms Mikakos confirmed.
The new cases are made up of six linked to outbreaks, five cases identified through routine testing, four cases detected in returned travellers in hotel quarantine and one case under investigation.
Melbourne is now on high alert after a spike in coronavirus cases following weeks of single digit transmissions (pictured, Flinders Street Station on Sunday)
Prime Minister Scott Morrison echoed Ms Berejiklian’s comments, saying the spike was a ‘wake-up call’.
‘Australia has fared incredibly well compared to the rest of the world,’ he said on Monday.
‘But that cannot be cause for complacency. COVID hasn’t gone anywhere.
‘It’s still out there. And it can still take hold. And so, we can’t be complacent about it, and we certainly aren’t, as governments all around the country.’
The Stamford Plaza hotel outbreak has increased to 14 with two contractors also testing positive.
Two cases have been linked to Albanvale Primary School in Caroline Springs, taking that outbreak to three, with two teachers infected.
A further two cases have been linked to H&M Northland, taking the total to four.
One new case is a household contact of a staff member who tested positive on Friday, the other new case is a worker who did not work at the store while infectious, although did attended the Black Lives Matter protest in Melbourne on June 6.
A woman in a face mask is seen walking past St Paul’s Cathedral in Melbourne on Sunday (pictured) as coronavirus cases rise across the city
It is not thought they acquired the infection from the protest.
The H&M store has undergone a deep clean and contact tracing is continuing.
A child who goes to Great Beginnings Reservoir went to the childcare centre while infectious, so it has been closed for cleaning and contact tracing.
Australia’s chief health authority, the Australian Health Protection Principal Committee (AHPPC), issued a statement on Sunday to discourage any travel to the areas until the spread had been controlled.
‘It is critical that we are able to continue to control transmission,’ the committee said.
There were 116 cases reported in Victoria last week, making up 83 per cent of all new infections, the committee said.
A customer is seen signing in at a cafe in Parkdale, 출장안마 Victoria on Sunday (pictured) with coronavirus contact tracing still underway