Over 100 residents are told to self-isolate after student attended classes at East Preston Islamic College and then tested positive
Muslim community leaders say they fear « new wave of hatred » after infectious student at Islamic school raised fears of epidemic in northwest Melbourne
Two schools have been closed and more than 100 social housing residents have been asked to self-isolate after a fifth-grade boy who was supposed to self-isolate attended classes at East Preston Islamic College, for several days before being tested positive for Covid-19
Residents of the city’s northern suburbs have been urged to watch for symptoms as the Department of Health and Human Services tries to limit the risk of a Covid-19 outbreak in vulnerable communities
But Adel Salman, spokesperson for the Islamic Council of Victoria, said the community was also bracing for another round of racial attacks
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« We have just come out of a fairly horrific and sustained attack on the Muslim community, » Salman said
« There is a risk, in fact, it is more than a risk, it is very likely that it will happen again »
At the start of Melbourne’s second wave, a major outbreak at Al-Taqwa College Islamic school received considerable attention
« Do not be seduced by those who peddle hatred … No community is responsible for Covid-19, epidemics will occur, » said Salman
Victoria recorded five new cases of Covid-19 on Thursday, a slight increase from Wednesday’s three, but still below the 14-day moving average of 61
Jeroen Weimar of the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) said he expects more positive cases to appear after an infectious student takes classes at East Preston Islamic College before his diagnosis
« We have a number of people who are self-isolating at home or as part of the Covid-19 accommodation program and are being monitored by Austin Health and Banyule Community Health, » he said
« A thorough contact tracing is underway and we anticipate that as part of this work additional cases will be detected … The college has taken positive steps to deal with this situation and is working closely with us. It has been closed for deep cleaning «
East Preston Islamic College principal Ekrem Ozyurek told media the student was supposed to self-isolate after one of their siblings tested positive for Covid-19 several weeks earlier , but there had been a misunderstanding and he had attended classes Monday and Tuesday this week
« He had other siblings who got rid of the virus on 17 [October], » Ozyurek told The Age
« We’re not trying to find a fault in this one, » he said « Best to see what we can do from now on »
Ozyurek said he was told the child should have been isolated when the health department contacted him on Tuesday to inquire about the boy’s presence
The principal then made the decision to close the school as a precaution and the boy tested positive the next day.The head of the department ordered that the campus be closed and thoroughly cleaned
East Preston Islamic College has around 600 grade 12 preparation students School homepage updated with a message from the Principal
« Our school site will remain closed until we are notified by the Department of Health and Social Services … that it is safe to reopen, » Ozyurek said
« I remind you that all staff members and students are invited to limit their travel during the contact tracing … The duration of this one will depend on the complexity of the investigation and the number of close contacts identified »
Weimar said classmates and teachers believed to be close contacts identified and quarantined for 14 days
Contacts spread to several suburbs, including Dallas, Roxburgh Park, Broadmeadows, Preston and West Heidelberg, and an SMS was sent on Wednesday alerting people who lived in or were traveling to those areas to do so. test if they had symptoms
New cases of coronavirus (COVID-19) have been reported in the northern suburb of Melb If you are in Dallas, Roxburgh Park, Broadmeadows, Preston or West Heidelberg and have symptoms, get tested # COVID19vic https: // tco / Z3aT2Xr9xJ picTwittercom / 1Ytvy9MTXk
A spokesperson for the department confirmed in a statement that « additional cases linked to this outbreak have also been identified in a block of social housing in Broadmeadows »
The department has now sent 120 notices to residents asking them to self-isolate for 48 hours and get tested for Covid-19
« This delay allows the department to make sure the community is aware of the situation and for residents to get tested and get their results before determining what next steps are, » Weimar said. p>
« We ask all of these residents to come for asymptomatic tests at the dedicated on-site testing station »
The fight against infections in public housing in Melbourne is a hot topic after the government came under heavy criticism for its handling of the hard lockdown of nine towers of social housing in July
Dallas Brooks Elementary School has also been closed for deep cleaning and contact tracing as a precaution after close contact was identified there
A spokesperson for the department said a « massive community health door-to-door program will begin [Thursday] morning to alert residents in identified areas of potential exposure to the coronavirus … and how to access supports such as financial aid »
“A range of materials will be available in English and other languages and the teams visiting residents will include staff from a variety of cultural backgrounds »
Other contextual testing sites are also coordinated in the area, people who cannot attend can access rapid response tests at home
Coronavirus, Melbourne, Victoria, student, school, East Preston Islamic College
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SOURCE: https://www.w24news.com
