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Black Lives Matter protester tests positive for Coronavirus after 10,000 people attended a rally in Australia

Black Lives Matter protester tests positive for Coronavirus after going to rally attended by 10,000 people in Australia

Black Lives Matter protester has tested positive for Coronavirus
after attending a rally attended by 10,000 people in Melbourne, sparking
fears of second wave of the virus in Australia.

The man in his 30s reportedly marched with thousands through the city
on Saturday and developed symptoms 24 hours later despite wearing a
mask.

Health officials fear he may have passed the virus to many others.

Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton said the case could be the start
of a mass outbreak. ‘This realises our worst fears,’ he told Sydney
radio 2GB. ‘Now we could slip back into a second wave like other
countries have.’

 Victoria’s Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton said it was unlikely
the man contracted the virus at the protest because it was too soon for
him to start showing symptoms.

‘This case is unlikely to have been acquired at the protest but we
were all concerned about the possibility of transmission occurring at
that protest,’ he said.

‘It’s obviously helpful that the individual wore a mask but masks are not 100 percent protection.’

Dr. Sutton, who warned people not to attend Saturday’s rally, also urged people not to gather in groups larger than 20.

‘We don’t want people gathering in groups larger than 20 in Victoria
because of the risk to others. It is my strong recommendation not to go
and it is the law,’ he said. 

Treasurer Josh Frydenberg also condemned the protesters, saying:
‘People shouldn’t have gathered in those numbers for those rallies. In
doing so, they put the broader community’s health at risk.

‘That was the obvious message from the medical experts about those
rallies. And it was very unfortunate that they proceeded in the way that
that did.’ 

Speaking this morning, Prime Minister Scott Morrison slammed the
protesters and said he wants anyone attending future rallies to be
charged with breaking public health orders.

‘I think they should. I mean, I really do think they should, because
they’ll be kind of a double standard here,’ he told Melbourne radio 3AW.

‘I think the issues of last weekend were very difficult, but I think people carrying it on now, it’s not about that.

‘It’s about people pushing a whole bunch of other barrows now, and it puts others lives and livelihoods at risk.’

Mr. Morrison added: ‘I saw some people say, when they attended this rally, ‘oh I knew the risk I was taking by attending’.

‘They were talking about themselves, they weren’t talking about the
Australians who weren’t there, you know, millions of quiet Australians
who have done the right thing.’

‘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.

As state leaders face growing calls to lift more restrictions, Mr
Morrison said: ‘The rally last weekend is the only legitimate
blocker.’ 

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.’

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