By Brendan Rees
Casey City has reached 13 days without a reported case of Covid-19, according to the state’s latest health data.
The Victoria’s Department of Health and Human Services figures showed Casey’s tally remained at 53.
In other parts of the southeast, cases in Greater Dandenong had also remained unchanged for nearly two weeks with 14 confirmed cases and 13 in Cardinia.
The total number of coronavirus cases in Victoria is 1,364 – an increase of three since Thursday 30 April, including 18 deaths and seven patients in intensive care.
There are 140 confirmed cases of coronavirus in Victoria that may have been acquired through community transmission.
Police, firefighters and other frontline workers will get access to free accommodation if they need to self-isolate due to coronavirus as part of the Hotels for Heroes program – which has been expanded to include even more critical workforces.
Under the expansion, free hotel and apartment rooms will also be made available to Victoria Police, youth justice, Corrections Victoria, and Metropolitan Fire Brigade and Country Fire Authority firefighters involved in Emergency Medical Response.
Hotels for Heroes provides free accommodation in hotels or apartments for frontline workers who have had exposure to coronavirus or have a positive coronavirus diagnosis and cannot safely self-isolate at home.
The Department has confirmed a number of coronavirus cases at a private supported residential service in the eastern suburbs of Melbourne. In total, one staff member and four residents have tested positive for coronavirus.
All staff and residents have been tested for coronavirus and all contacts are being traced – with no further positive test results reported as of today.
The Victorian Government has announced a massive expansion of testing, which will help inform decisions about slowly lifting restrictions ahead of the State of Emergency being reviewed on 11 May.
“Up to 100,000 Victorians will be tested for coronavirus over the next two weeks as part of a major testing blitz across the state,” Victoria’s Chief Health Officer Professor Brett Sutton said.
“Our daily case numbers are still low which is encouraging. They prove that our physical distancing measures are working but this is not a time to relax our strong approach – this disease can get away from you very quickly as we have seen overseas.”
Meanwhile, Victoria Police officers reported fining 74 flouting social distancing rules in the 24 hours to Thursday 30 April.
This included four people drinking alcohol in a shopping centre carpark, ten people present at a private residence for a birthday party, multiple people committing criminal offences including, theft and drug offending.
Victoria Police also conducted 651 spot checks at homes, businesses and non-essential services across the state as part of Operation Sentinel.
