The case has echoes of Victoria’s exit from lockdown last month,when a worker at a Sandringham dry cleaner who had travelled from Sydney tested positive to the Delta variant on the first day of new restrictions.
Authorities believed heightened restrictions at that time,particularly including indoor mask use,may have prevented that cluster spreading beyond two cases,and Professor Bennett said ongoing restrictions could also prove helpful now.
“It’s really a lockdown you have when you’re not having a lockdown,” she said. “And this is why.”
Several new exposure sites were listed at shopping centres and petrol stations in Altona North,Yarraville,Frankston and Frankston South on Wednesday afternoon. The sites were classified tier 2 – indicating they are considered moderate risk by authorities – though the advice can be subject to change if other positive cases emerge.
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The Moonee Valley testing site was also added as a tier-3 site and all staff who worked alongside the man are isolating. The Health Department said it planned to open the centre on Thursday following a deep clean.
Professor Sutton said it was not yet clear if the traffic controller was vaccinated,but he had been wearing a surgical mask.
Nancy Baxter,head of the Melbourne School of Population and Global Health,said given the man was “giving directions” and not swabbing people,she could understand why he had not been required to wear an N95 mask,which provides better protection from airborne particles.
But she said protective equipment requirements should be revised in light of the highly infectious Delta variant,which seems able to transmit between people passing by each other and in venues previously considered low-risk,including outdoor sport stadiums.
“Delta has rewritten all of the rules and it finds any opportunity,” she said.
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