Victoria records two new cases as supermarket listed as exposure site

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Victoria has recorded two new local coronavirus cases, after a supermarket in Melbourne’s north-east was listed as a tier-1 exposure site due to a positive case visiting the store.

Both new cases are linked to the current outbreak, but only one was in quarantine for their entire infectious period according to the Department of Health.

There were more than 32,700 tests returned on Friday and 19,502 vaccination doses administered.

Woolworths in Doncaster’s Devon Plaza was added as a potential COVID-19 exposure site late on Friday, after a positive case visited the store on Wednesday between 10.20am and 11.25am.

Anyone who visited the store during that period of time must get tested as soon as possible and quarantine for 14 days.

It is not yet clear whether the new exposure site is connected to a new case in the community or linked to a known outbreak.

A traffic controller who worked at the Moonee Valley Racecourse drive-through testing site tested positive on Wednesday.

There were 110 exposure sites listed across Victoria, as of 8am on Saturday.

The potential COVID-19 exposure dates for the Balmoral Apartment Complex in Hawthorn have been extended, after a positive case stayed at the Robinson Road building from Monday to Friday last week.

The building is listed as a tier-2 location, but some residents are required to isolate for a full 14 days.

Victorian health authorities downgraded the travel restrictions on South Australia and Norfolk Island at 11.59pm last night, moving from a “red zone” to an “orange zone”.

Travellers from those areas will need to apply for a specific permit, get tested within 72 hours of arriving in Victoria and stay isolated until they receive a negative result.

Those who arrived from South Australia and Norfolk Island on a red zone permit and have since tested negative have now been released from quarantine.

The federal government announced on Friday that vaccinated Australians will get special rules to avoid some lockdown restrictions once 70 per cent of the eligible adult population have had two vaccine doses.

Following a meeting of national cabinet on Friday, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said international border rules would be loosened to allow more people to come home once 70 per cent of the population had been fully inoculated.

Once the national vaccination total hits 80 per cent, broad lockdowns will not be used in major cities, caps on returning Australians will be abolished and all restrictions on vaccinated travellers leaving the country will be removed.

With Abbir Dib, David Crowe and Katina Curtis

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