Victoria’s Health Minister Jenny Mikakos has urged residents living in Melbourne’s coronavirus hotspots to get tested after more than 10,000 people rejected approaches by health workers to be swabbed.
More than 164,000 Victorians have been tested as part of a blitz launched last Thursday, with local lockdowns now in place to contain growing suburban outbreaks.
The health minister on Friday said she was disappointed that 10,000 people in the last eight days had refused testing.
“That might be for a range of reasons, including that they may have already been tested in a different location," she said.
"We are analysing that data to see exactly why people are refusing but it is concerning that some people believe that coronavirus is a conspiracy or that it won't impact on them.
“Coronavirus is a very contagious virus - it can go through your family very quickly, it can affect your neighbours, your loved ones, and your entire community.”
Similar fears were raised recently amid increased scrutiny of the Victorian government’s efforts to inform linguistically-diverse communities about the coronavirus.
Chief health officer Brett Sutton said that when trying to communicate with migrant communities, the government had to combat misinformation being spread on social media.
“There are people who use social media from their country of origin or amongst their network of friends as their primary source of information,” he said at the time.
“A lot of it tells them that it’s all rubbish messaging from the government.”
Victoria recorded another 66 cases of coronavirus on Friday, marking the 17th day of double-digit case numbers in the state.
The number is down on the 77 new cases of COVID-19 recorded on Thursday.
Of the new cases announced on Friday, 17 are connected to contained outbreaks, one is linked to hotel quarantine, 29 are from routine testing and 28 are under investigation.
People in Australia must stay at least 1.5 metres away from others. Check your state’s restrictions on gathering limits.
Testing for coronavirus is widely available across Australia. If you are experiencing cold or flu symptoms, arrange a test by calling your doctor or contact the Coronavirus Health Information Hotline on 1800 020 080.
The federal government's coronavirus tracing app COVIDSafe is available for download from your phone's app store.
SBS is committed to informing Australia’s diverse communities about the latest COVID-19 developments. News and information is available in 63 languages at
