Victoria is on high alert after a positive COVID-19 case visited Dan Murphy’s and Off Ya Tree in Western Melbourne.
Victoria’s Department of Health says a “full public health response is underway after a hotel quarantine worker tested positive to COVID-19.” The worker was employed at Melbourne Airport’s Holiday Inn Hotel; a venue used to house returned travellers who have contracted the virus.
Understandably, the story has done its rounds through social media, with Victorians making sure to spread awareness and necessary information. In true Twitter fashion, however, users are focusing on a more “cooked” side of this story.
The worker reportedly received a negative test result on February 4 and returned to work three days later, where she later developed symptoms and tested positive. The case is considered locally-acquired and the second since Wednesday, when another quarantine worker from the Grand Hyatt hotel was confirmed to be infected.
No new cases have been detected among the Grand Hyatt worker’s close contacts since he tested positive, while the Holiday Inn worker’s close contacts are now being monitored in their 14 day quarantine period.
Yesterday there was 1 new locally acquired case reported and 0 in hotel quarantine. 11,359 test results were received. Got symptoms? Get tested, #EveryTestHelps.
More later: https://t.co/lIUrl0ZEco#COVID19Vic #COVID19VicData pic.twitter.com/nYpd3NYZW4
— VicGovDH (@VicGovDH) February 7, 2021
The Department of Health identified three “Tier 1 exposure sites” visited by the Holiday Inn worker. Anyone who has visited the following locations at the listed times must get a COVID-19 test and remain isolated for 14 days:
- Marciano’s Cakes, Maidstone, from 9:45am to 10:25am on Friday, February 5
- Dan Murphy’s, Sunshine from 5:50pm to 6:30pm on Friday, February 5 and 6:50pm to 7:30pm on Saturday February 6
- Off Ya Tree Watergardens, Taylors Lakes from 1:17pm to 1:52pm on Saturday February 6
Enter Twitter, who were quick to meme the fuck out of this list. Off Ya Tree has since been trending on the platform for hours.
I love that the Melbourne bloke who tested positive to Covid spent 35 minutes at The Exford then 51 minutes at Kebab Kingz. That must be a ripping kebab!! #COVID19Vic
— lehmo23 (@lehmo23) February 3, 2021
The new case went to Dan Murphy’s twice, an Off Ya Tree and a cake shop – do they have Covid or the munchies?
— Kyran 🌈 (@kyranwheatley) February 7, 2021
Never thought I’d hear “off ya tree” so many times in one news cycle.
— Lorinimus (@Lorinimus) February 7, 2021
I had no idea Off Ya Tree still existed. I thought they would have folded when the sale of bongs was banned. Good on them for diversifying.
— Klaus Bremner (Autotelic Art) (@KlausBremner) February 7, 2021
The news of these two infections follows a 28-day streak of no locally acquired cases in Victoria.
There is an updated list of exposure sites on the Department of Health’s website.
