Covid case at Kirrak House

As Victoria hits the 70 per cent double dose mark, and Melburnians count down the clock to the end of lockdown at 11.59pm tonight, local Covid cases continue to climb.

Yesterday, Bass Coast Health (BCH) was notified a staff member at Kirrak House aged care unit had tested positive.

In a media statement, Bass Coast Health said the staff member worked between 1.30pm and 10pm while infectious on October 19, but was asymptomatic at the time.

The staff member did not enter any other facilities within the hospital, and was double vaccinated.

In line with requirements, the BCH Outbreak Plan was activated immediately and impacted staff members, residents and relatives were contacted.

Residents will be cared for in their rooms; visitation has been ceased; all staff and residents are being tested for Covid. The area has been thoroughly cleaned. All staff have moved to wearing full Level 3 Personal Protection Equipment; and all at risk staff who were exposed have been furloughed.

CEO Jan Child said, “Bass Coast Health is well prepared for positive cases. While we are disappointed that one of our most vulnerable settings has been impacted, we are relieved that
most of our residents are double vaccinated, and all our staff are vaccinated.

“We know that Covid is in our community and that we are all at risk of contracting Covid as we go about our lives, because of the significant levels of community transmission. Whilst everyone at BCH has been doing such a great job at avoiding contact, the high levels of community transmission make exposures somewhat inevitable.

“Kirrak House staff have worked tirelessly to remain Covid-safe, taking exceptional care of residents through a challenging year. We thank them for their above and beyond efforts and for their care and compassion, and we know that their deep commitment to our residents will see them continuing their excellent efforts over the coming days," said Jan.

As of yesterday, state government figures have local cases at 21, including positive cases on Phillip Island and in San Remo, while Gippsland Region Public Health Unit listed 13 cases in Bass Coast and 430 active cases in Gippsland.

Lockdown ending

When Melbourne comes out of lockdown at 11.59pm tonight, residents will be free to move around the city, but will still not be permitted to travel to regional areas.

While the upcoming long weekend might tempt some to travel further afield, police have warned that Operation Guardian will be operating.

"As part of the operation, up to 200 police officers will maintain an around the clock presence on key arterials and back roads out of Melbourne, as well as in key regional tourism hotspots," a police spokesperson said.

"These arrangements will remain in place for the duration of the current Chief Health Officer (CHO) directions, which prohibits anyone from metropolitan Melbourne entering regional Victoria without a valid reason."

Police will be performing roving patrols utilising Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) technology to intercept those from metropolitan areas, while a number of vehicle management points will be in place each day checking motorists.

"These vehicle management points will be flexible and move based on intelligence, ensuring a level of unpredictability for those willing to risk a $5452 fine for venturing into regional Victoria," the spokesperson said.

Once the state reaches the 80 per cent double dose mark, which is expected to occur next Tuesday, regional and metropolitan areas will be under the same set of restrictions, and people from Melbourne will be able to visit regional areas.

Daily case numbers available at at www.coronavirus.vic.gov.au/victorian-coronavirus-covid-19-data