Residents living in a Covid hotspot in Melbourne‘s west are frightened to step outside amid fear the virus is running unchecked among the community.
Newport and its neighbouring suburb of Altona North – both in the local government area of Hobsons Bay – became a breeding ground for the virus in late August after a school teacher caught the virus and quickly passed it on.
While the known active Covid cases climbed by another 11 in the area to 175, the actual number of cases are believed to be far greater.
Victorian health officials approach a Covid-infected resident at the door of his Newport property on Monday. The family argued with two officers, complaining that they needed to eat
Victoria’s active Covid cases remain in the hundreds with almost 100 coming from a single area in Melbourne’s north
The Newport cluster took hold when it spread to a local footy club
On Tuesday, Daily Mail Australia revealed a Covid-positive Newport family were responsible for repeated, blatant breaches of home quarantine.
The family had tested positive to the virus on Monday, August 30, but continued to roam free for at least eight days before they were finally issued a warning to stop.
The warning only followed inquiries by Daily Mail Australia to both Victoria Police and Victoria’s health department, which both continue to ignore Daily Mail Australia’s requests for information on the case.
‘I’ve never been angrier with the dimwit families around here and that football club,’ one angry resident told Daily Mail Australia on Wednesday.
The Newport Football Club had become the epicentre of the Covid-cluster earlier this month after a member become infected from someone who knew the school teacher.
The Newport cluster has been a thorn in the side of all Victorians since the virus found its way into Al-Taqwa College Islamic school in Tarneit, also in Melbourne’s west.
It is understood the Victorian health department was bombarded with similar social media posts in the following days in the hope it would send patrols into the community in a show of strength.
A block of apartments on Mason Street in Newport became ground zero for a cluster that spread across the state
Victorian health officials arrived at the Newport property on Monday afternoon hours after another crew had done a ‘drive by’ check on the family
Health officials trawl for evidence after they were alerted to a serious Covid breach in Melbourne’s west
Instead, Daily Mail Australia witnessed health officials doing ‘drive-by’ inspections of Covid-infected residents on Monday without a single official even getting out of their vehicles to make sure all of those infected were actually home.
In fact, the infected family’s eldest daughter, who was also positive for the virus, was witnessed returning home hours later.
‘I’m barely leaving my home now because all I see are infectious dudes wandering around,’ a Newport resident said.
On Wednesday, Altona North and Newport remained littered with exposure sites – most of which have been infected repeatedly.
‘People in the area are sick of being slammed into isolation and told to get tested because they’d visited Woolies and a Maccas within spitting distance of these clowns,’ another Newport resident said.
‘People at those shops have lost work, locals have been put into isolation, testing stations have been overrun because of selfishness like this.’
Chemists, banks and shops at Borrack Square in Altona North have remained on the exposure site map for weeks.
Hookd Fish n Chips, also on Borrack Square, is listed on three consecutive days from September 2-4.
While residents take some comfort in exposure sites being listed, many locals claim large sections of the community fail to check-in or wear masks.
The area the family lives within in and around Newport and Altona North, in Melbourne’s west, is littered with Covid-19 danger zones
‘I’ve been concerned about the spread within pockets of our local community … seeing them congregate at places like the coffee shop on Mason Street, with no apparent mask wearing and social distancing,’ another Newport resident told Daily Mail Australia on Wednesday.
‘In the morning, I make sure I walk down the opposite side of the street as who knows what diseases are being spread between them all, lingering for hours.’
Many residents are angry that while Melburnians remain locked-up, authorities fail to take action against known spreaders.
On Tuesday, Daily Mail Australia revealed the Newport family found breaching home quarantine escaped with nothing more than a warning, despite being active in the community while positive for at least seven days.
The story was picked up by mainstream media across the nation, with 3AW’s Neil Mitchell leading his morning broadcast with it.
Premier Daniel Andrews claimed to know nothing about the Newport family.
Health staff are seen at a pop-up Covid test site in Altona North in Melbourne last month
Altona North Woolworths has become a regular on the exposure site map
But when questioned by reporters on Wednesday, the Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews claimed he was unaware of the case.
‘I have not seen that footage. I am not doubting your account of it. We do literally thousands of checks every day,’ Mr Andrews said.
Mr Andrews claimed the health department carried out up to 1,500 checks a day on people undertaking home quarantine.
Of those, he claimed 90 percent were ‘where they’re supposed to be’.
Mr Andrews further asserted people with Covid previously found to have breached home quarantine were subsequently placed in hotel quarantine.
‘There have been some people moved to hotel quarantine, many of whom wanted to go. Some of who perhaps didn’t want to go but they finished up in hotel quarantine because they were a risk to others,’ he said.
Mr Andrews said he hoped infected members of the community would ‘see common sense’ and not breach isolation.
Meanwhile, active Covid cases in the municipality of Hume, which shares a similar demographic as Hobsons Bay, continue to soar.
Out of the 246 cases identified on Wednesday, 97 infections were in Hume.