Advertisement

Premier warns of 'second wave' as virus shuts down another school

Victoria Premier Daniel Andrews has warned attempts to return normality to people’s working lives will lead to a second wave of coronavirus infection across the state.

As news of a Melbourne school being shut down emerged, Mr Andrews urged people to continue working from home if they could.

Despite signs the virus's spread was slowing in the state, he said it was important people who have been working from home keep working from home as to not overcrowd the city's transport network.

Daniel Andrews has called on Victorians to continue to work from home. Source: AAP
Daniel Andrews has called on Victorians to continue to work from home. Source: AAP

"We can't have a situation where our public transport system is running at 100 per cent capacity," he said.

"Having too many people in close contact... that will lead to a second wave. That's what we're trying to avoid."

There are about 70 known active cases in the state, with seven new cases confirmed on Friday.

Unlike NSW where capacity is limited on public transport as restrictions begin to ease, Victoria’s transport system is running as normal.

However Public Transport Victoria is urging people to only use buses and trains when essential.

“The message remains - if you can stay at home, you must stay at home,” it says.

Mr Andrews has urged people not to travel into Melbourne if they don't need to. Source: AAP
Mr Andrews has urged people not to travel into Melbourne if they don't need to. Source: AAP

Melbourne school shut down

A school in Melbourne's northwest has been closed after a student tested positive to coronavirus, a week after a teacher was also confirmed to be infected.

Victoria's Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton said Keilor Downs Secondary College will be closed for cleaning after a student tested positive to COVID-19.

"The student was probably infectious on-site on the 26th of this month and was notified yesterday," he told reporters on Friday.

The student is associated with a family cluster announced on Thursday.

Professor Sutton said there is no evidence of a link between the student and the staff member who tested positive last Friday, as the teacher had no exposure to the school site.

However, a St Albans Secondary College student and six students at Taylors Lakes Secondary College have been identified as close contacts of the infected student, who attended a VET class while infected.

Those students, as well as any other known contacts, will enter a 14-day quarantine but their schools have not closed.

Suburb on high-alert

Professor Sutton said a mobile testing site will be established in Keilor Downs.

"This student has acquired it from a broader family group, but how that family group acquired it is under investigation," he said.

"It might indicate that there are some low levels of transmission in or around Keilor Downs."

Community transmission has been a concern of health officials in recent weeks as restrictions are rolled back.

After a third of cases confirmed on Wednesday were cases without a known source, Deputy Chief Medical Officer Professor Michael Kidd warned Australians the pandemic is far from over.

“What it shows to us is that COVID-19 is still out there in the community and what we know is that there are some people who have very mild symptoms or often very few symptoms at all,” he told the Today show.

“So it just reinforces the importance that if anyone has any symptoms of a respiratory tract infection, no matter how mild, you stay at home and you arrange to get tested because it could be COVID-19.”

with AAP

Do you have a story tip? Email: newsroomau@yahoonews.com.

You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter and download the Yahoo News app from the App Store or Google Play.