More exposure sites for Melbourne as Victoria records six new locally acquired cases

"Today's numbers are very much a reminder that this virus has not gone away," Victorian Health Minister Martin Foley said.

A number of new exposure sites have been listed in Melbourne today after three of the six new locally acquired cases of COVID-19 were unable to be connected to any known outbreak of the virus.

The state government today actually announced eight new cases, though two of those will be included in tomorrow's numbers as they were identified after the official cut-off for reporting new infections.

Of the six new cases, three are close contacts of an already identified case and were isolating while infectious.

However, the remaining three cannot be traced to the current outbreak, and are being treated as two new lines of investigation for contact tracers.

One is a case that was identified late yesterday and is a person who lives in the Melbourne suburb of Maribyrnong.

Another case is a person who lives in the Hobsons Bay Area and a household contact of that case has also tested positive.

Genomic sequencing to determine how the three new cases contracted COVID-19 is underway and should be available late tonight or early tomorrow.

As such, numerous exposure sites have been published online so far, and Victorian Minister for Health Martin Foley anticipates more locations will be listed following further investigation.

The sites include a Coles in Yarraville, the Newport Football Club, a pharmacy in Altona North and Da Barber House in Caroline Springs. A full list of the new exposure sites can be found here.

As one of the new cases worked at a school in Truganina, everyone who also worked at Al-Taqwa College, attended the school or just visited on the 28th, 29th or 30th of July has been ordered into isolation for 14 days.

In addition, VIC Health has set up a testing site today at Al-Taqwa College.

"The Department of Health is working very closely in partnership with the Western Public Health Unit in supporting that local community and is working very closely with the school principal," Foley said.

"I want to congratulate the school as we know the school has been through this process in the past and have learnt and engaged in so many ways."

As for the two additional cases that will be reported in tomorrow's figures, COVID Commander Jeroen Weimar said they were both relatives of the couple from Maribyrnong.

"24 hours is a long time in any pandemic, and we have a significant new board of work to do over the next few hours or days or weeks ahead of us," Weimar said.

Updated at 12.38pm AEST on 5 August 2021.