Coronavirus Australia: Victoria Covid lockdown sparks angry protests as new exposure sites revealed

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Violence erupted on the streets of Melbourne with hundreds of mask-less protesters marching into the CBD as the state entered its sixth Covid lockdown at 8pm on Thursday.

Footage showed chaotic scenes with some demonstrators throwing bottles and other projectiles at police as officers deployed pepper spray to disperse the agitated crowd.

Hundreds of furious Victorians, only released from their fifth lockdown nine days ago, were heard chanting ‘sack Dan Andrews’ as they released flares in the street.

‘Outraged’ Victoria Police told Daily Mail Australia they made 15 arrests at the protest and will issue 16 others with fines for breaching public health orders, as investigations get underway over the assault of an officer who was allegedly pushed to the ground and stomped on.

It has also been revealed that event organisers may be charged with incitement for their alleged role in whipping up the crowd.

The snap seven-day stay-at-home orders issued by Premier Daniel Andrews came after flurry of new cases and a swath of new exposure sites on Thursday. 

State health authorities flagged 14 sites in a late-night drop that included busy shopping centres, supermarkets and two Virgin Airlines flights that an infected passenger travelled on, raising concerns there could be many more cases to come.

The frustrated protest group met at Flinders Street Station earlier in the evening chanting conspiracy theory slogans and calling for Premier Dan Andrews to be sacked.

One man was captured on video being taken to the ground by four officers atop the steps of the iconic train station as police warned protesters to ‘move away’.

The groups chanted ‘freedom’ and ‘no lockdown’ before one of the rally’s organisers addressed demonstrators with a megaphone.   

‘Bring it on Daniel Andrews, we will fight to our last breath,’ the woman screamed.

As the crowd got on the move and made their way down the street toward Parliament House, the march started peacefully with several young children and even babies among the swelling rally.

But the mood quickly turned hostile as protesters made their way past police officer lined up on the footpath.  

Violent clashes were captured on video with some in the group shouting abuse at officers and calling them ‘dogs’.

Police could be seen reaching for their pepper spray canisters and telling to the crowd to ‘move away’.

When some in the group continued to move forward, officers fired the non-lethal weapon at various protesters.

Some demonstrators responded by hurling bottles and other projectiles before the hostile group dispersed.  

‘There are families, there are kids here and a whole mix of people from Melbourne and the police are just indiscriminately spraying pepper spray into the crowd,’ a man filming the rally dubiously claimed.

‘They are attacking the people who are marching to Parliament House.

‘Spraying kids spraying families, these people have lost their jobs.’

Police confirmed they made a total of 15 arrests during the ‘unlawful’ protest with two people slapped in hand cuffs for allegedly breaching bail and stating false names.

A further nine were arrested before their identity could be confirmed to issue fines and four more are expected to be charged in relation to breaching their bail, activating a flare and hindering police.

Officers also issued 16 people with fines for breaching public health orders for offences like exceeding the public gathering limit, failing to wear facemask and travelling 5km from home – which is against the state’s new lockdown rules.

Police confirmed that a number of incidents will now form criminal investigations including the the assault of a police officer who was allegedly pushed to the ground and kicked leaving him with ‘minor cuts and abrasions’.

Other charges are also expected to the laid over the activation of a flare, and criminal damage to a police vehicle. 

‘Four of the offenders who were arrested or fined are known to police as protest organisers,’ Assistant Commissioner Luke Cornelius said in a statement.

‘They have been dealt with previously and it is expected they will be presented to court on appropriate charges, such as incitement.

‘Any offenders who are established to be repeat offenders will also face appropriate charges and be placed before the court to prevent their repeat offending.’

Investigators say they’re already scouring video footage to identify as many protesters as possible.  

‘Police are, together with the vast majority of Victorians who are doing the right thing, outraged that a small minority of people continue to engage in deliberate breaches of the CHO Directions, putting the lives and jobs of their fellow Victorians, as well as their police at risk,’ Assistant Commissioner Cornelius said.

The drama comes as two Virgin Airlines Flights were declared a Tier 1 Covid exposure sites after a positive case passenger is thought to have travelled while infectious.

Anyone who travelled on Virgin Flight VA808 from Sydney to Melbourne on August 2 departing 7:00am must immediately get tested and self isolate for 14 days, regardless of the result.

It is the same story for those who flew on Virgin Flight VA1364 from Melbourne to Launceston on the same day, departing at 10:35am. 

Those who may have visited Melbourne Airport Terminal 3 between 8:35am and 11:05am are urged to monitor their health an immediately get tested if they feel even the slightest symptoms.

Several other venues across Melbourne were also flagged, including the National Auto Glass store in Derrimut which was exposed for five days, along with Kmart in Footscray in the inner-west.

Central West Shopping Centre in West Footscray was also exposed including its Aldi supermarket, as was the busy Highpoint Shopping Centre in Maribyrnong in Melbourne’s inner north-west.

With stay at home orders kicking in at 8pm, Premier Andrews told residents: ‘Go home, and begin that lockdown.

‘Don’t be out and about because all you might be doing is spreading the virus.’

But that didn’t stop the swarm of protesters, mostly without facemasks, descending on the city with flares, banners and not even an inch of social distancing. 

Announcing the lockdown earlier on Thursday, Mr Andrews said there was ‘no alternative’ because the Indian Delta strain of coronavirus is so contagious.

‘None of us want to be in a situation where we have to lockdown again but the Delta variant moves so fast,’ he said. 

‘There are no alternatives to lockdown. If you wait, it will spread. And once it spreads, you can never even hope to run alongside it.

‘I would prefer we didn’t have to make this decision now. But my fear is if we were to wait a few days there is every chance instead of being locked down for a week, this gets away from us.’ 

Residents are only allowed to leave home for exercise, essential shopping, care-giving, essential work and getting vaccinated. 

Mr Andrews asked residents to ‘assume you have Covid’ and immediately get tested if suffering any cold and flu symptoms – and he also urged people to obey the rules.

‘I plead with all Victorians please don’t go and visit family and friends, because you might well be contributing to the spread of the virus,’ he said.

The premier said he wanted the lockdown to be successful so the state could open up quickly.

‘I’m determined and I believe we have every chance of being open for the vast majority of the time between now and when we are up to 80 per cent of people who have had the jab.

‘That is absolutely doable. We all have to pay our part to achieve that outcome,’ he said.

Mr Andrews said the whole of the state had to be locked down because of a positive sewage test in Wangaratta, 236km north-east of Melbourne, which indicated cases had already escaped the capital.

‘With one sewerage detection we have to assume there are cases,’ he said.

Victoria recorded six new cases – including two of unknown origin – on Thursday plus an additional two cases that will be lodged in Friday’s numbers. 

One of the two new mystery cases is a teacher in her 20s at a prestigious Islamic school in Melbourne – whose positive result has sent 2,100 students and 300 staff members into isolation for 14 days.

The teacher, who lives in the Hobsons Bay area and works at Al-Taqwa College in Truganina in the city’s west was diagnosed on Wednesday and may have been infectious in the community and the school for a week. 

The teacher’s partner, who lives with her, has also tested positive. He works in Caroline Springs and is plays for local Australian Rules club Newport. He played a match on July 31 against West Footscray at Shorten Reserve and members of both teams have been instructed to get tested and isolate.

Two of his family members, who do not live with the couple, returned positive tests today.

A man who lives in the Maribrynong local government area and works at a warehouse in the western suburb of Derrimut is the second new positive case with an unknown source.

Mr Andrews warned on Thursday that his ‘government’s priority is to avoid what’s going on in Sydney’, where Delta variant case numbers continue to rise.