A SMALL cluster of COVID-19 cases in Frankston has been linked to an outbreak at Chadstone Shopping Centre.
The number of active COVID-19 cases in the Frankston postcode jumped by five on Sunday, 20 September, bringing the total number of active cases in the municipality to nine.
On 1 October, deputy chief health officer Allen Cheng said that the rise in cases in Frankston involved one household, and had been traced to the outbreak at Chadstone.
“On the outbreaks, we have a bit of a situation in Frankston that is linked to the Chadstone cases,” he said. “So at Chadstone, there have been eight cases in the fresh food part of Chadstone. The staff have been contact traced and cleaning has occurred, so it is perfectly safe to go back into Chadstone at this time.
“At Frankston, there is an outbreak that involves a household that are being supported to isolate. At Frankston there is a popup clinic at the Peninsula Aquatic Centre. There is no exposure site in the area, but obviously for those who have symptoms in Frankston, if you could come forward for testing, that will help us find the cases and trace contacts.
“I think it is about eight or nine people in the [Frankston] household. One of the members works at Chadstone. I don’t know off the top of my head how many cases there are, but I think a lot of them have had infections and are being supported to isolate. We thank them for their cooperation.”
The DHHS’ list of high risk COVID-19 hotspots was updated to include five locations at the Chadstone Shopping Centre last week. Anyone who visited the Woolworths or Aldi from 8am to 9pm on 19 September, The Butcher Club or fresh food precinct between 23 and 26 September, or Coles on 27 September should monitor themselves for COVID-19 symptoms.
As of 4 October there are 20 active COVID-19 cases linked to the Chadstone outbreak.
For more information on high risk locations visit dhhs.vic.gov.au/coronavirus
