403 new COVID-19 cases and five more deaths in Victoria as Premire announced support payment

403 new COVID-19 cases and five more deaths in Victoria as Premire announced support payment

Victoria has recorded another 403 coronavirus cases and five deaths, making it the third worst day in the pandemic. The premier, Daniel Andrews ,has announced a hardship payment of $300 which will be available to anybody who has taken the coronavirus test and needs to remain off work to self-isolate until the results are in.

The deaths include a man in his 50s and a man in his 70s.

A woman in her 70s, a man in his 80s and a man in his 90s also died - all of whom were "connected to aged care settings".

The  support payment for virus testing will be available to workers who do not have access to paid sick leave. It comes after alarming data showed more than half of Victorians were not self-isolating after taking a virus test.

"This $300 payment will go a long way to supporting those families and having them make better choices, If you’re sick, get tested quick and then isolate until you get a test result. If you were then a positive case, then you would be eligible because those same insecure work circumstances apply, you would be eligible for a further $1,500 payment, and we would make sure that we made those payments as quickly as possible” Premier Daniel Andrews said.

It comes after alarming data showed more than half of Victorians were not self-isolating after taking a virus test Yesterday, the Premier revealed about nine out of 10 recently confirmed cases were continuing to move about the community after developing symptoms, and just over half of people who had been tested did not immediately self-isolate.

Health Minister Jenny Mikakos stressed no one was safe when it came to the deadly virus as four children are currently battling coronavirus in Victorian hospitals,

"This is not an older person's disease," she said.

"A quarter of infections we are seeing are young people in their 20s.

Thursday is the first day all Melbourne and Mitchell Shire residents are required to wear masks if they are out for one of the four permitted reasons under Stage 3.

This includes at the supermarket, when out walking for exercise and in the workplace.