Victoria has reached 40 consecutive days without a new COVID-19 case, but authorities are awaiting the test results of at least half a dozen symptomatic international arrivals who have landed in Melbourne in the past 48 hours.
Six symptomatic passengers are at the Novotel "hot hotel" in South Wharf, as well as 10 non-symptomatic passengers with complex health needs.
The Novotel is temporarily housing COVID-positive and suspected cases, while a ventilation issue is fixed at the city's second hot hotel – the Holiday Inn on Flinders.
Four flights were scheduled to arrive late on Tuesday night and authorities are expected to provide an update on any new symptomatic passengers on Wednesday morning.
The state's 40th "doughnut day" came after more than 11,500 Victorians were tested for the virus on Tuesday.
Seven international passenger flights from Brunei, Hong Kong, Doha, Singapore, Auckland and Abu Dhabi are scheduled to arrive at Tullamarine on Wednesday carrying between 150 and 160 passengers in total.
It comes as the Andrews government vows to pursue about $3 million in coronavirus fines issued to young Victorians during the state's tough stage four lockdown.
An estimated 2000 fines were issued to people aged 14 to 17.
A coalition of youth advocates and legal organisations says a 14-year-old girl who had recently arrived in Australia and does not speak English was fined $1652 for being a passenger in a car that was more than five kilometres from her home.
The girl did not understand the travel restrictions although she was wearing a surgical mask, the Smart Justice for Young People coalition said.
A 17-year-old homeless Indigenous girl was fined at Southern Cross Station. "She was intending to travel to the country to help her sister who was experiencing family violence at the time that she was fined," a spokeswoman for the coalition said.
But Attorney-General Jill Hennessy told State Parliament on Tuesday the government has no intention of withdrawing fines.
During question time, Victorian Greens MP Tim Read told Parliament the fines had disproportionately affected children from low-income households.
"Many teenagers now have large unpaid fines threatening their futures, and many have no realistic prospects for paying them," he said.
But Ms Hennessy said there were existing processes for fines to be appealed if people had a "compelling case to challenge a fine" in court.
"The government has no intention of withdrawing fines that have been lawfully imposed," she said.
The resumption of international arrivals has also coincided with scrutiny on interstate airport and quarantine protocols after The Age revealed another international traveller evaded hotel quarantine in Sydney and flew to Melbourne in July.
The breach was identified by airline staff on July 14 and the man was forced into quarantine at a Melbourne hotel, where he later tested negative to COVID-19.
Victoria's Department of Health and Human Services confirmed that it did not alert passengers on the domestic flight of the quarantine breach, saying it was not the policy to alert third-ring contacts at that time.
The revelation comes after two dual-citizens from Germany were able to skip mandatory hotel quarantine in Sydney before boarding a domestic flight to Melbourne at the weekend.
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Rachael Dexter is a breaking news reporter at The Age.
https://news.google.com/__i/rss/rd/articles/CBMikwFodHRwczovL3d3dy50aGVhZ2UuY29tLmF1L25hdGlvbmFsL3ZpY3RvcmlhL3ZpY3RvcmlhLW5vdy1jb3ZpZC1mcmVlLWZvci00MC1kYXlzLWJ1dC1zeW1wdG9tYXRpYy10cmF2ZWxsZXJzLWluLWhvdGVsLXF1YXJhbnRpbmUtMjAyMDEyMDktcDU2bHVsLmh0bWzSAZMBaHR0cHM6Ly9hbXAudGhlYWdlLmNvbS5hdS9uYXRpb25hbC92aWN0b3JpYS92aWN0b3JpYS1ub3ctY292aWQtZnJlZS1mb3ItNDAtZGF5cy1idXQtc3ltcHRvbWF0aWMtdHJhdmVsbGVycy1pbi1ob3RlbC1xdWFyYW50aW5lLTIwMjAxMjA5LXA1Nmx1bC5odG1s?oc=5
2020-12-08 21:10:00Z
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