After a concerning period of COVID cases linked to Bacchus Marsh Grammar and fears over the virus' spread within the community, Bacchus Marsh is again on edge with nearby Melton and Caroline Springs at the centre of the state's latest COVID clusters.
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There are now 29 cases linked to Caroline Springs and 19 active COVID-19 cases in neighbouring Melton including three reported in the past 24 hours.
A Tier 2 exposure site was also added late on Wednesday night at Alan Mance Motors.
See all the exposure sites here.
For a town that has endured large-scale disruption with the entire community of Bacchus Marsh Grammar forced in to 14 days of isolation and at least 16 cases linked to the school, the prospect of more cases in their community has left many feeling deflated.
Yesterday, Bacchus Marsh Grammar students returned to home-learning after the Department of Health requested the school close to avoid the risk of COVID being reintroduced to the school community.
With the outbreaks in Caroline Springs and Melton, where many students live, the school leadership agreed to the department's request to return to remote learning from the school's Maddingly campus.
This last period has made COVID a lot more real to Bacchus Marsh than we experienced previously. I know we were locked down last year but we had the ring of steel and felt a bit immune from it because we could still travel in regional areas.
- Mark Shelly
Bacchus Marsh Grammar principal Andrew Neal broke the news to parents in a letter posted online at 8pm Tuesday.
"As a result of emerging risks today, we are requesting the immediate proactive closure of Bacchus Marsh Grammar - Maddingley Campus. This is to manage the increasing risk of a student inadvertently attending while infectious, given the risk of undetected cases in and around Caroline Springs in particular," the chief health officer wrote in a statement that Mr Neal passed on to parents.
Mr Neal said it was not known how long the school would be asked to stay closed.
"I can understand some families being angry about the situation that we find ourselves in and the continued disruption to their lives. That frustration is understandable, however, I would ask you understand that there is a large number of people attempting to do the best for our community."
Moorabool Mayor Councillor Tom Sullivan said there was a sense of "frustration and here we go again".
"People understand the seriousness of this virus but it's just when you think we are starting to get some free air and see light at the end of the tunnel it comes back and it is starting to sap people's resilience.
"It's really starting to wear people down and while I think people are optimistic, they are also getting a bit despondent."
Cr Sullivan praised the Bacchus Marsh Grammar community and said he felt particularly sorry for the VCE students whose studies were again being interrupted.
"Because our municipality abuts Greater Melbourne and a lot of our eastern residents commute for work, with the uncertainty we all just hold our collective breath when these (outbreaks) happen."
Darley Football Club president Mark Shelly, who is also managing director of Stockdale & Leggo Bacchus Marsh, said people were "genuinely concerned" about another COVID outbreak in the town.
From a football club perspective, the outbreaks and continued metropolitan Melbourne lockdown had impacted all levels of competition from under 9s through to seniors with many players living in hotspot areas.
And it would also heavily impact on club finances.
"For example, our type of club has so many tradespeople who work for large organisations so you have to think about not just those 22 senior players but their families, workplaces and the rings of people around that family - it impacts everybody's lives."
Mr Shelly said the lockdowns and disruption to the season would impact the mental health of people that really look forward to community sport as an outlet, and where people feel they belong - in addition to the toll it was taking on businesses and individuals in the wider community.
"I think there's a lot of that particular need to be dealt with and addressed," he said.
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"This last period has made COVID a lot more real to Bacchus Marsh than we experienced previously. I know we were locked down last year but we had the ring of steel and felt a bit immune from it because we could still travel in regional areas."
Mr Shelly urged people to get vaccinated to protect not only themselves but the elderly and vulnerable in the community, and to continue to check in and scan QR codes.
"The general feeling in the community is people just want to try to get back to whatever we feel is normal now ... and clearly that is going to be through vaccination."
Mr Shelly said he suspected cases would emerge in Bacchus Marsh in coming days.
"There's participants here from all over the region. My mother works at Tabcorp Park (Melton) and she's from Bacchus March and (because it has been declared a tier 2 site) she's gone and got a COVID test and is staying home until she gets told not to."
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