Chief Health Officer admits Victoria too slow to act on coronavirus cluster that has infected 90

Victoria's Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton says authorities could have done better in handling a coronavirus outbreak at a meat processing plant, including shutting down the facility when the first case was detected.

Victoria's Chief Health Officer Dr Brett Sutton addresses the media during a press conference in Melbourne.

بریت ستون، مدیر ارشد صحی ویکتوریا Source: AAP

The Cedar Meats outbreak is the state's biggest COVID-19 cluster and is now the subject of a WorkSafe investigation, as three new infections were linked to the abattoir yesterday.

Ninety people linked to abattoir have been infected.
The state government and Cedar Meats' management have defended the handling of the outbreak, including the decision to allow staff to work for several days after workers tested positive.

But Victoria's Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton has admitted authorities could have acted earlier.

"Maybe we shouldn't have waited for a third linked case," he told 3AW radio.

"Maybe for these settings, we should shut an entire place down; not just the boning room where it all started, but an entire facility."
Signage for Cedar Meats Australia in Melbourne.
Cedar Meats in Melbourne Source: AAP
The first case linked to the meatworks was confirmed on April 2, but it wasn't considered a risk site because the worker said they hadn't been at work for weeks.

Cedar Meats was shut down on April 29 after two more cases surfaced on April 24 and 25. It plans to partially reopen on Monday.

The WorkSafe investigation, meanwhile, will examine whether social distancing measures were in place at the abattoir and if workers were provided with appropriate personal protective equipment and hand sanitiser.

Victoria's virus count went up to 1523 after nine new cases were confirmed yesterday, two of which were linked to another developing cluster at the McDonald's in Fawkner.
There are six confirmed cases of coronavirus linked to McDonald’s in Fawkner.
There are six confirmed cases of coronavirus linked to McDonald’s in Fawkner. Source: SBS
In total, eight cases are linked to the fast-food restaurant, which reopened on Wednesday after a deep clean.

It is being staffed by workers from other McDonald's in the area.

McDonald's Australia chief executive Andrew Gregory said most of the Fawkner site's 100 employees have been tested and many were negative, but some test results haven't come back yet.

"It's possible we will get a small number of positive infections," he told 3AW.

Despite the current growing clusters, Professor Sutton said the fact that new cases weren't related to community transmission was reassuring.

Victoria has 105 active cases.

People in Australia must stay at least 1.5 metres away from others. Check your state’s restrictions on gathering limits.

Testing for coronavirus is now widely available across Australia. If you are experiencing cold or flu symptoms, arrange a test by calling your doctor or contact the Coronavirus Health Information Hotline on 1800 020 080.

The federal government's coronavirus tracing app COVIDSafe is available for download from your phone's app store.

SBS is committed to informing Australia’s diverse communities about the latest COVID-19 developments. News and information is available in 63 languages at .


Share
3 min read
Published 15 May 2020 5:58am
Updated 15 May 2020 8:01am



Share this with family and friends