Fears Australia could be hit by a second wave of coronavirus grow after ANOTHER Black Lives Matter protester tests positive to COVID-19
Another Black Lives Matter protester has tested positive for coronavirus, sparking fears of second wave of the virus in Australia.
The young woman attended a rally along with thousand of other protesters in Melbourne last weekend.
The woman is the second protester to test positive for the deadly virus – sparking fears there could be a second wave on the way.
Tens of thousands of protesters marched through Australian cities in support of the Black Lives Matter movement. Pictured: A protest in Sydney on Tuesday
Victoria’s Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton said it was unlike unlikely the woman acquired the virus at the rally and it is unrelated to the first case.
‘For this individual the onset of their illness is a little bit unclear but was wearing personal protective equipment and took a great deal of care in keeping distance from others.’
Victoria recorded 12 new cases of COVID-19 on Monday, seven are linked to family outbreak, two are from new outbreak linked to hospital patient, one is a protester, one is in hotel quarantine and one is under investigation.
The rallies around the country went ahead despite health officials urging residents to stay home.
Treasurer Josh Frydenberg said the mass gatherings were putting the broader community’s health at risk.
Black rights protests sprung up around the western world in response to American demonstrations following the death of black security guard George Floyd in police custody in Minneapolis.
Critics said the protesters put Aboriginal people at risk because they are more vulnerable to the deadly virus
Thousands of aboriginal rights activists attended rallies in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Adelaide on Saturday despite health officials warning they could cause COVID-19 outbreaks.
The Prime Minister said protesters had prevented more restrictions being lifted as health officials wait two weeks to see if the demonstrations cause a spike in cases.
‘By all means raise your issue. But by doing this, they have put the whole track to recovery at risk,’ he told Sydney radio 2GB.
Deputy chief medical officer Professor Michael Kidd said it was too early to tell if the protests will cause a spike.
‘The incubation period for COVID-19 is five to seven days, up to 14 days. So we will only start seeing new cases occurring if that transmission had occurred on the weekend over the days ahead,’ he told ABC News this morning.
‘We’re continuing to be very cautious and obviously we need to see what happens over the next few days.’
More to come