Primary school in Craigieburn shuts after prep student tests positive
A primary school in Melbourne's north has closed after a student contracted COVID-19, one of three new cases recorded in the state overnight.
A prep student at Newbury Primary School in Craigieburn attended school last Friday, May 29, while infectious but asymptomatic. The child developed symptoms on the weekend and was kept home from school this week.
Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton speaking on Friday.Credit:Penny Stephens
Authorities do not know how the student contracted the virus and Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton said on Friday that there were hotspots of community transmission in the inner-north and western suburbs.
The school will be closed on Friday as the Victorian Health Department attempts to determine close contacts of the student. The school is being professionally cleaned and will reopen sometime next week.
The other two cases were returned travellers in hotel quarantine.
Professor Sutton said there remained a low level of community transmission in Victoria and said the public needed to continue to follow physical distancing rules.
"I want to emphasise these areas [the inner-north and west] appear to be the hotspots at the moment in Melbourne," he said.
"It remains a risk."
He said people in the inner-north and west should self-isolate and get tested if they experience symptoms.
As of Friday, authorities estimate 178, or about 10 per cent, of the coronavirus cases detected in Victoria since the beginning of the outbreak were probably picked up from within the community.
Professor Sutton, who reiterated his directive not to attend Saturday's Black Lives Matters protest, warned Victorians to abide by the rules over the long weekend.
"Our message this long weekend is stay safe," he said.
"That means continuing to maintain physical distance from others, practice good hygiene – wash your hands regularly and cough and sneeze into a tissue or your elbow, avoid crowds, be cautious and stay home and get tested if you’re unwell.
"If you don't have to do it – don't."
About 6000 tests were carried out yesterday, taking the total to 542,000.