Victoria Records Ten New Locally-Acquired Cases Linked To Black Rock Thai Restaurant Cluster

Victoria

Victoria recorded ten new locally acquired cases of coronavirus on Friday, all part of a growing cluster linked to a Thai restaurant in the Melbourne bayside suburb of Black Rock.

Health Minister Martin Foley today told reporters that all the new infections are linked to the Smile Buffalo Thai restaurant, in what has become known as the “Mentone-Mitcham cluster”.

A staff member and others who dined at the restaurant on December 21 are among the cases. Close contacts of the cases have are also among those who tested positive.

Foley said that genomic testing has established a direct link between the current cluster in Victoria to the recent New South Wales outbreak, telling reporters:

“The genomic proof is in the pudding. This cluster originated from the combined North Shore-Croydon outbreak. That is the science. It is up to both Victoria and New South Wales to work together to get on top of it.”

DHHS COVID-19 response commander Jeroen Weimar stressed the fact that there is more work to be done, saying that there is now a “large spatial spread” of cases across the state, and adding:

“December 21 was the first known contact point within Victoria. That is now 11 or 12 days ago. We are very keen to establish any other chains of transmission that may be happening.”

Masks are currently mandatory indoors in Victoria in an attempt to slow the spread of the virus, while daily household visitor numbers have dropped to 15.

The state has also closed its border to anyone who has been in NSW.

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