Prep student with coronavirus causes Melbourne primary school to close

A prep student is one of Victoria's three latest coronavirus cases, forcing the school to shut and authorities to flag Melbourne's COVID-19 hotspots.

Victoria's Chief Health Officer Dr Brett Sutton.

Victoria's Chief Health Officer Dr Brett Sutton. Source: AAP

A Victorian prep student has tested positive to coronavirus, forcing the school to close, as community transmission continues in Melbourne's inner west and north.

The young student at Newbury Primary School in Craigieburn is among the state's three latest cases of COVID-19.

The prep student went to school without symptoms late last week but developed symptoms over the weekend, Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton said on Friday.

The student was tested on Wednesday. The health department became aware of the result on Thursday and the school was shut on Friday for cleaning.
Contact tracing is now being done to identify whether any staff or students are required to self-isolate, and to determine whether further action is required to reduce the risk of infection.

Prof Sutton said the school was notified late last night so some parents may only be finding out today about the closure.

"These are community cases. They are almost certainly picked up in the community, they happen to be attending school but this is not a transmission within the school, and the risk of transmission in the school remains very low," Prof Sutton told reporters.

Close contacts of the student will be identified and told to self-isolate.
After similar cases in Keilor Downs, Prof Sutton pinpointed Melbourne's inner west and inner north as the latest virus breeding grounds.

"The recent cases illustrate there really is ongoing community transmission in Victoria, it's at very low levels," he said.

"But it does seem to be concentrated to the inner north and inner west of Melbourne. Right from Keilor Downs through to Fawkner, to Craigieburn, this is where in the last couple of weeks we've seen community cases.

"These areas of Melbourne appear to be the hotspots at the moment."
He urged anyone in Melbourne's inner west to inner north to get tested and isolate if they have symptoms, and reminded people to stay home unless absolutely necessary - including staying away from a planned Black Lives Matter protest in the CBD on Saturday.

Among the state's latest cases, the two others were in hotel quarantine.

There are 178 confirmed cases of coronavirus in the state acquired through unknown transmission. Seven people with the virus are in hospital, with one in intensive care.

In NSW, there were four new cases overnight, NSW Health said, adding all are travellers in hotel quarantine. For the first time in weeks, no patients are being treated for COVID-19 in NSW hospitals.

The other states and territories have reported no new cases.

Australia's coronavirus death toll remains at 102.

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 sbs.com.au/coronavirus


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