Melbourne Outbreak Risking Economic Pain: Trade Minister

The Morrison government is concerned Melbournes COVID-19 outbreak could threaten Australias economic recovery.

Dozens of suburbs across the city entered the second day of a reinstated lockdown on July 3 after more than two weeks of double-digit case increases.

Senior cabinet minister Simon Birmingham vowed to put partisanship aside to work with the Victorian Labor government on squashing the disease.

“We have a situation in Victoria that is threatening the economic recovery that is so important for all of us,” he told Sky News on Friday.

“I absolutely fear that this is getting in the way of the economic recovery that is so important to saving the jobs of Australians.”

There were 77 new coronavirus cases detected in Victoria on Thursday.

More than 330 people in the state have contracted the disease without a known source.

Victorias Andrews government is under pressure after serious breaches were alleged in hotel quarantine and a coronavirus-infected man left his two-week stint without being tested.

Senator Birmingham said the federal government was not interested in blame games, despite the state opposition calling for Health Minister Jenny Mikakos to be sacked.

“Were interested in working with Victoria, acknowledging the failings that have happened in Victoria and trying to make sure they get on top of that.”

He wants the outbreak to become a model for dealing with other infection spikes.

Across the rest of the country, there were eight new cases in NSW.

One of those was the supermarket worker who tested positive after spending two weeks in Melbourne hotel quarantine.

Health authorities in the inner-west Sydney Read More – Source