Victorian restrictions to stay in place as Cedar Meats cluster grows

Victorian restrictions to stay in place as Cedar Meats cluster grows

Restrictions on gathering in Victoria are unlikely to ease before Mother's Day as a cluster of confirmed COVID-19 cases from a meat processing facility continues to grow.

The state confirmed 14 new cases of COVID-19 this morning, with 13 of the 14 tracing back to a growing cluster at Cedar Meats Australia.

The new cases from Cedar Meats brings the facility's total to 62 cases, representing the majority of active cases in the State and close to one in ten active cases across the country.

According to Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews (pictured) the State has 105 active cases of COVID-19. Eight of these cases are hospitalised and six are in intensive care.

The latest figures come as the state continues its expansive testing regime that has so far seen 106,000 people tested in the last week and a half, with 18,200 of those tests conducted just yesterday.

Despite the State's good work in testing more and more people Premier Andrews says it is still too early to look at easing restrictions on the rest of the population.

"The last thing we want to do is ease off any of those restrictions without a sense of confidence that we are truly on top of this," says Andrews.

"This is a very infectious disease, it spreads rapidly, and it can get away from you very, very quickly, and that's why we've taken such a cautious approach.

"The last thing I think business wants is the notion that they reopen quickly only then to have to close again. That would make a very difficult situation almost unbearable as businesses burnt that cash that they had perhaps put away for them to restart only then to have to then close again."

Updated at 12:16pm AEST on 7 May 2020.

Enjoyed this article?

Don't miss out on the knowledge and insights to be gained from our daily news and features.

Subscribe today to unlock unlimited access to in-depth business coverage, expert analysis, and exclusive content across all devices.

Support independent journalism and stay informed with stories that matter to you.

Subscribe now and get 50% off your first year!

SMEs urged to consider business insurance to mitigate financial risks
Partner Content
A single “bad luck” incident could cause financial disaster for many Australian sma...
Advertisement

Related Stories

Former G8 Education CEO Gary Carroll steps in to take charge at takeover target Pacific Smiles

Former G8 Education CEO Gary Carroll steps in to take charge at takeover target Pacific Smiles

Dental clinic operator Pacific Smiles Group (ASX: PSQ) has appointe...

Treasury Wine Estates agrees to pay shareholders $65m in last-minute class action settlement

Treasury Wine Estates agrees to pay shareholders $65m in last-minute class action settlement

Treasury Wine Estates (ASX TWE) has agreed to pay $65 million to se...

TPG Telecom selling its fibre and fixed-network assets to Vocus for $5.25b

TPG Telecom selling its fibre and fixed-network assets to Vocus for $5.25b

Digital infrastructure provider Vocus is significantly expanding it...

Dubber launches $25m raise to power recovery under new CEO

Dubber launches $25m raise to power recovery under new CEO

With a new boss at the helm, software company Dubber (ASX: DUB) is ...