There are now three confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Ballarat, one in Moorabool and one in Hepburn as the rate of confirmed infections in Victoria skyrockets.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Sixty seven new cases were confirmed overnight, bringing the state's total to 296.
No detail is known about the local cases, but the new Victorian cases include 42 men and 25 women, with people aged from late teens to early 80s.
The number of infections in regional Victoria jumped dramatically overnight to 25, with 256 cases in metropolitan Melbourne. Three of the confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Victoria may have been acquired through community transmission.
RELATED STORIES
Some of the increase is believed to be from people who heeded Prime Minister Scott Morrison's call to return from overseas.
Every person who has returned from overseas since March 15 must spend 14 days in self isolation, as do all close contacts of a confirmed case of COVID-19.
A statement from the Department of Health and Human Services said while most Victorians were voluntarily complying with requests to isolate, police had strong powers to enforce the direction if required.
Under the State of Emergency people who don't comply with a directive could receive a fine of up to $20,000, and companies face fines of up to $100,000.
For the virus to spread, extended close personal contact is most likely required. Close personal contact is at least 15 minutes face-to-face or more than two hours in the same room.
Extensive testing has shown that people who have passed through places where there was a confirmed case, known as casual contacts, have an extremely low risk of transmission and are not currently recommended for testing.
The Victorian Department of Health and Human Services has a hotline for public information on COVID-19 which is 1800 675 398 or visit www.dhhs.vic.gov.au/coronavirus
We have removed our paywall from our stories about the coronavirus. This is a rapidly changing situation and we aim to make sure our readers are as informed as possible. If you would like to support our journalists you can subscribe here.
Have you signed up to The Courier's daily newsletter and breaking news emails? You can register below and make sure you are up to date with everything that's happening in Ballarat.
