Sydney removalists who broke Covid restrictions to face severe punishments
The group drove from Sydney to Melbourne while infected with Delta variant
Removalists stopped at a number of fast food restaurants and petrol stations
Officials say books will be thrown at the group who have not been assisting
They face fines of up to $45,000 each for breaking the pandemic mandates
Do you know the removalists? contact tips@dailymail.com
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Victoria has recorded no new local cases of coronavirus after mask-wearing rules were reintroduced at midnight to combat a growing number of cases and high-risk exposure sites and the state government meets to discuss further restrictions.
Health authorities reported 11 new cases yesterday but 10 of those are officially included in Thursday’s figures. Two schools have closed after one of the new outbreaks spread to regional Victoria.
While masks are now mandated indoors across the state, plenty of Victorians are masking up outside too.
Credit:Joe Armao
All 10 of Thursday’s cases are linked to the current outbreaks.
Eight of the government’s most senior cabinet ministers were meeting on Thursday morning to hammer out a new plan to deal with the fast-moving outbreaks.
by Alesha Capone and Benjamin Millar
UPDATE: The Coles at Sanctuary Lakes Shopping Centre and the Sanctuary Lakes Hotel have both been added to the list of COVID exposure sites.
The hotel, at 280 Point Cook Road, Point Cook, has been named a tier one exposure site after a person with the virus attended the venue on Tuesday between 12pm and 9pm.
Anyone who attended the hotel within this timeframe has been advised to get tested immediately and quarantine for 14 days from exposure.
The Coles, at 300 Point Cook Road, Point Cook, has been named as a tier two exposure site after a person with the illness attended the store on Wednesday between 11.30am and 12.30pm.
Asanka Ratnayake/Getty Images
Melbourne is bracing for news which could nudge it towards yet another lockdown, after state health authorities detected 11 new cases of COVID-19 in the community over Wednesday.
Face masks are once again mandatory for all public indoor areas in Victoria, except for children under 12, and those with medical exceptions.
The list of Victorian exposure sites has grown to 72, while residents in Greater Sydney are awaiting their own case number update.
Victoria is bracing for news which could nudge the state towards its fifth coronavirus lockdown, after the two new outbreaks in Melbourne prompted the state government to make face masks mandatory indoors.
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COVID-19 response commander Jeroen Weimar said health authorities will eventually “throw the book” at the three Sydney removalists who breached their permit conditions, withheld crucial information from contact tracers and spread the highly infectious Delta variant to six other people.
New details of the trio’s trip emerged on Wednesday – more than 36 hours after Victoria’s public health team began interviewing them – prompting Mr Weimar to express “exceptional frustration” at the men’s lack of transparency.
COVID-19 response commander Jeroen Weimar addresses the media on Wednesday.
Credit:Justin McManus
The men arrived in Melbourne on July 8, on a special workers permit for freight drivers to deliver furniture in the City of Hume and pick up another load in the City of Maribyrnong.