One thousand more ADF troops sent to aid Victoria's COVID-19 battle
Premier Daniel Andrews says another 1000 Australian Defence Force personnel will soon be working on Victoria’s response to its second surge of COVID-19 infections, as the federal government offers millions of face masks to the state.
News of the additional soldiers came as Mr Andrews warned even tougher stage four restrictions could not be ruled out for Victoria if the infection curve could not be flattened.
ADF personnel help police at a roadside checkpoint on the Geelong Freeway last week.Credit:Jason South
The fresh military deployment, which will bolster the hundreds of troops already working on testing and supporting enforcement, was announced after Prime Minister Scott Morrison offered the state more Defence resources on the weekend.
Federal Health Minister Greg Hunt also said 5 million protective masks would be released from the Commonwealth medical stockpile to supply Victoria's front-line health workers.
Of those, 1 million masks will go to to primary healthcare workers, with 4 million for aged care and home care use.
The exact roles of the new troops have yet to be decided, the Premier said on Monday.
"That's still to be worked through... We're in constant discussions about whether it be Commonwealth public servants, ADF staff, anybody that can assist us, regardless of what uniform they wear, in the current challenge we face," he said.
The ADF is already working on COVID-19 testing in Melbourne and has about 360 troops supporting Victoria Police’s effort enforcing the "hard boundary" thrown around metropolitan Melbourne and the Mitchell Shire in a bid to contain the spread of the virus.
But Mr Andrews said it would take time for the new contingent of Defence personnel to slot in to the state’s battle against the outbreak.
"That does take time," the Premier said. "You can't stand these things up in a matter of hours.
"In terms of the deployment, how quickly the 1000 staff will get here, that's still being worked through by people like the public health team, my department and others, and the Chief Commissioner [of police] has a direct role in that."
Mr Andrews also warned the state government may have to go further with its restrictions if Melbourne's outbreaks could not be brought under control.
"We're not there yet," he said. "I can't rule out we have further limits placed on people's movement. That's in the hands of hard-working Victorians.
"If you don't want a stage four, if you don't want the lockdown to last a moment longer, then please follow the rules."
Mr Morrison told Sydney radio 2GB earlier on Monday the soldiers would be useful in helping the major logistical effort of tracking and tracing contacts of the hundreds of Victorians diagnosed with the virus in recent days.
"Everyone's working together and there's a big logistical effort that's needed to trace down all these cases," the Prime Minister said.
"There's hundreds of people in NSW helping that task, people up in Queensland are helping that task. So it is a real national effort to get on top of this."
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