A cluster of coronavirus cases at a Melbourne meatworks has risen to 49, as it is revealed one of the first cases associated with the outbreak was only diagnosed after the worker presented to hospital with a severed thumb.
Key points:
- Four of the 17 cases confirmed in Victoria overnight were linked to Cedar Meats Australia
- Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton said the cluster was not, and is not, a public health risk
- The State Government announced public sector workers who lost jobs could be redeployed for $1,500 per fortnight
Of the 17 new COVID-19 cases in Victoria, four are linked to Cedar Meats Australia, seven are returning overseas travellers in mandatory hotel quarantine and six cases remain under investigation.
The Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) has confirmed the first case in the cluster was diagnosed on April 2, but said the worker had not been at Cedar Meats for four weeks so the abattoir was not considered an exposure site.
DHHS said the second and third cases linked to the workplace were diagnosed on April 24 and 25, and were the first indication of a possible cluster.
Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton said contact tracers were investigating whether the cluster was due to some employees being part of a close-knit community outside of work.
The third case was diagnosed after the worker developed symptoms while at Sunshine Hospital with a severed thumb from a workplace injury.
"It was the first time Cedar Meats became aware that one of its employees had a positive COVID-19 result," general manager Tony Kairouz said in a statement.
The Cedar Meats worker was the case that led to 24 Sunshine Hospital workers being sent home for quarantine and testing.
The Victorian Opposition criticised the Government and DHHS over the length of time between the first person being diagnosed and the facility's closure.
Opposition Health Spokeswoman Georgie Crozier said the public should have known details earlier, saying there were "many questions to answer" about how the cluster got to its current size.
Professor Sutton said it only started to become apparent that cases were emerging at Cedar Meats after April 24, when the second case was diagnosed, and at that stage the abattoir was putting in protocols to manage the virus.
It is now closed for 14 days.
Professor Sutton said the public was not told about the cluster until May 2 because it was not, and is still not, deemed a public health risk.
"It would do a disservice to a commercial property if we are listing every single premises, even when we know everybody … to follow up and every action has been taken to mitigate the risk and no community members are at risk," he said.
But he admitted DHHS was reviewing its policy "right now" about whether to name facilities linked to outbreaks.
"I think in terms of giving an assurance and being open and transparent and we have nothing to hide, it might be a useful shift to name everywhere," he said.
"But we do have to keep in mind the balance."
Food Standards Australia New Zealand has said there is no evidence COVID-19 can be transmitted through food or packaging.
Cedar Meats general manager Tony Kairouz yesterday told the ABC the community could be assured any meat that had been processed at the facility was safe to eat.
He today said the company was "devastated" by the outbreak and looked forward to "celebrating our collective recovery".
He said the preliminary advice of WorkSafe on the day the worker severed their thumb was that Cedar Meats could not have avoided the incident.
Public sector workers offered redeployment
Victorian Treasurer Tim Pallas has today announced a scheme to redeploy casual public sector workers who have lost work during the shutdown and are not covered by the JobKeeper program.
Mr Pallas said some 3,000 casual workers working for government agencies would receive fortnightly payments of $1,500 before tax from April 27 to September.
The Treasurer said workers must indicate a willingness to be redeployed to other public sector jobs where demand was high.
Mr Pallas said eligible casual employees needed to prove they had been paid over the last two fortnightly pay cycles in "regular employment with the state and have seen that employment adversely and negatively impacted".
That could include staff from Melbourne Museum, Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre and the botanical gardens, as well as lifeguards from the state-run Melbourne Sports and Aquatic Centre.
The scheme will not cover council workers, who are not eligible for JobKeeper.
Mr Pallas said the problem of not being able to help pay council staff had "been created by the Commonwealth making it clear that JobKeeper does not apply to state or local government employees".
"The state has had to take action to take care of its employees, we would expect that local government similarly would step up to the plate and look after their own employees," he said.
"Local government should have the autonomy and responsibility to look after their workforce, how they do that is principally a matter for them."
Mr Pallas said councils could redirect their workforce into the Working for Victoria scheme.
He said he would like to see councils reduce rates to help their residents during the pandemic, but at the same time said they should "look at the their balance sheets" to help their staff.
"I think in the current environment we should start to see, from councils, a willingness to put in place arrangements and many councils have demonstrated a willingness to provide some [rate] relief," he said.
He said some councils were providing relief but there was no "consistency across the board".
"We are all in this together … we all have to bear our share of responsibility," he said.
https://news.google.com/__i/rss/rd/articles/CBMibmh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmFiYy5uZXQuYXUvbmV3cy8yMDIwLTA1LTA2L2Nvcm9uYXZpcnVzLWNhc2VzLWluLXZpY3RvcmlhLXJpc2UtaW5jbHVkaW5nLW1lYXR3b3Jrcy1jbHVzdGVyLzEyMjE4NTQw0gEnaHR0cHM6Ly9hbXAuYWJjLm5ldC5hdS9hcnRpY2xlLzEyMjE4NTQw?oc=5
2020-05-06 01:37:14Z
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