Hundreds of people will be required to isolate after a person with the Omicron variant of Covid-19 visited two popular queer Melbourne venues.
The Victoria Department of Health has advised that people who attended Sircuit Bar in Fitzroy between 9pm and midnight on Friday 10th December, and patrons at The Peel Hotel in Collingwood between 11:30pm and 3:00am on the same evening, need to immediately isolate and get tested for the virus.
It is estimated about 320 people were at the Peel Hotel and more than 410 people were at Sircuit during these times.
The Victoria Department of Health issued instructions to anyone who was at the venues.
If you attended either of these venues at these times you are a close contact. You must quarantine immediately. If you are fully vaccinated, you must quarantine for seven days from the date you attended the venues. If you are not fully vaccinated, you must quarantine for 14 days from the date you attended the venues.
You are required to get a standard PCR test as soon as possible and continue to quarantine at home. If you have tested negative but later develop symptoms, please get tested without delay.
You must have another PCR test on the day before your quarantine period is due to end and receive a negative result before your quarantine can be complete.
The people you live with are not required to get a test, but anyone who is symptomatic should isolate and get tested as soon as possible.
Complementary public health actions are underway and sites are being appropriately managed.
Other patrons who entered Sircuit on 10 December between 6pm and 9pm are being contacted by the Department of Health and asked to self-identify if they were present beyond 9pm. They are also strongly advised to get a standard PCR test and isolate until they get a negative result.
We’re still learning more about this variant, so we’re taking careful steps to ensure the safety and health of everyone in the community.
All Victorians can play their part in reducing the spread of Omicron – or any other variant – by getting tested the moment they notice symptoms or as soon as they are told they are a contact, and practising COVIDSafe behaviours such as wearing masks and checking in.
We’d also encourage everyone to come forward to get their COVID-19 booster shot as soon as you’re able to, so you can continue to protect your family, friends and the broader community.
Victoria’s Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton said health authorities were concerned about the level of transmission that may have occurred at the two venues.
“Certainly we’ve always known that crowded indoor places where people exert themselves, dancing, singing, shouting, whatever, are higher risk for transmission, so there’s a risk of superspreading,” he said. “And even though everyone is fully vaccinated and has that assurance that they’re much, much less likely to get severe illness, the risk of transmission remains in settings like that.”
The owner of The Peel, Tom McFeely has told the media that the news is a devastating blow for his venue, which will likely need to close because of the large number of staff also affected by the health instructions.
“It’s unfortunate, that small businesses like myself and Sircuit Bar have to suffer the consequences of this.” he told the ABC.
OIP Staff, image: The Peel website
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