Covid 19 coronavirus: Victoria has registered three new cases in the community

Victoria’s 61-day streak without a single case of Covid-19 in the community has come to an end.

Three cases, two women in their 40s and a woman in their 70s, were reported to authorities in Melbourne on Wednesday afternoon, none of which are in hotel quarantine.

Authorities have already contacted the close contacts of the three cases and advised them to isolate themselves.

The three cases are all in southeast Melbourne.

A spokesman for the Victorian government says the three new cases are believed to be linked to the Sydney group.

Covid-19 Victoria’s response commander Jeroen Weimar said in a statement that close contacts were identified.

“We have three cases that are self-isolating at home and are being supported and monitored … We have been in this position before and we are implementing our full outbreak approach in these cases.

“Extensive contact tracking is being done and as a result there are currently more than 40 primary close contacts that are supported for isolation.”

New York Times tennis writer Ben Rothenberg tweeted that the news was a “blow to AusOpen’s planning to break Melbourne’s fragile zero.”

It occurs as the state narrows its border with New South Wales, where a cluster on the northern beaches is now just one of several hot spots.

New South Wales Premier Gladys Berejiklian today described an outbreak in Croydon in the interior-west of Sydney as “concerning”, with six cases reported so far. There has also been a new infection in Wollongong, 120 km south of Sydney, bringing the total number of cases to two.

But things quickly escalated after his press conference. A pharmacy in the Blue Mountains suburb of Katoomba had to break the news on social media after a staff member became infected with Covid-19.

On Facebook, staff at the Greenwell and Thomas Pharmacy in Katoomba, 110 km west of Sydney, wrote that the infected staff member worked on Saturday 26 and Sunday 27 December.

People infected with Covid-19 also visited a number of locations in southwest Sydney, according to the latest alert from NSW Health on Wednesday afternoon.

Suburbs of greatest concern now include Bankstown, Bass Hill, Punchbowl, and Liverpool.

Berejiklian pleaded for anyone in the state with the mildest symptoms to come forward for testing in an attempt to overcome the outbreak.

It also announced an urgent tightening of restrictions for New Year’s Eve in Greater Sydney with indoor gatherings limited to just five people and outdoor groups restricted to 30 until further notice.

“Our preferred advice is for people to stay home for New Years Eve, but if (you) must have people, no more than five and make sure you have adequate social distancing, good ventilation, all that stuff, Dr. Chant and the health experts talk, “he said.