Child tests positive for COVID-19 after attending Explorers Early Learning Centre in Melbourne

Victoria health authorities said the child tested positive during screening after arriving in Israel on Saturday, January 9.

“We are working with colleagues in Israel to confirm the test result,” a spokesman for the Department of Health and Human Services said.

“In the meantime, DHHS are taking all necessary precautions and investigating potential exposure sites – including where the child may have been exposed themselves.”

Professor Sutton said he believes the rapid point-of-care test conducted at Tel Aviv airport will end up being a false positive.

“It’s my suspicion this is not going to end up being a confirmed positive test. We are following that up with Israeli authorities and as soon as we can get a determination on a more precise test, we will provide that information,” he said.

“Rapid point-of-care tests have been known to turn up as positive when cases are not true positives. They are different to the PCR swabs that return a result after several hours, that are much more accurate, have 99.9 per cent accuracy. These rapid point-of-care tests are very useful, but they can turn up a positive result in somebody not truly a case.”

The Explorers Early Learning centre in Armadale is closed on Monday as it undergoes a deep clean.Credit:Paul Jeffers

He said the possible case and early learning centre have no connection to the Black Rock cluster or exposure sites visited by previously confirmed cases.

Explorers Early Learning was informed on Monday morning before 10am of the case, owner Lynda Kelly said, and the Armadale centre was immediately closed for 48 hours for deep-cleaning.

All families were then notified by email with advice from the Health Department “to make sure everyone’s safe”.

The centre is expected to update parents about the case at 5pm on Monday. Ms Kelly said it was likely there would be no new information at that time, but she’s hoping the case will be confirmed to be a false positive.

Victoria officially recorded no new local cases of coronavirus for the fifth day in a row on Monday. One international arrival tested positive.

It takes the state’s active cases to 40. There were more than 18,000 test results returned on Sunday.

The childcare centre’s general manager Jarrod Macdonald wrote to parents encouraging them to have their children tested.

“As a matter of caution, we encourage all children who attended the service last week to be tested. In addition, we remind families to get tested even if they have mildest symptoms,” he wrote.

“We will call all families who are deemed a close contact today for official instruction to self-isolate. In the meantime, we ask that all families make appropriate decisions for your family whilst we await further advice.

“We are extremely conscious of you and your child’s safety and wellbeing. We will continue to take advice from the health authorities and keep you updated.”

Meanwhile, Professor Sutton is set to review the rules governing the state’s borders and the wearing of masks indoors by Tuesday. Any easing of restrictions is dependent on NSW and Queensland’s ability to satisfy Victorian health authorities they have successfully managed to suppress the virus.

COVID-19 response commander Jeroen Weimar on Sunday said he also wanted to see more days of no community transmission and high testing numbers before restrictions were eased.

“[Professor Sutton] will be reviewing these issues over the coming day or two,” he said.

“He’s looking at it very closely and I’m sure he’ll have something to say over the coming days.”

The three-day lockdown of five Brisbane council areas is set to finish at 6pm on Monday. The lockdown was instated after a hotel quarantine cleaner was discovered to have the more-virulent UK COVID-19 variant on Thursday.

Ninety-six Victorians who flew into Melbourne Airport after border restrictions came into effect for Greater Brisbane on Friday night – in breach of Queensland authorities’ rules – have been directed to get tested and isolate at home for 14 days.

The Department of Health will not fine or pursue any penalties against people who flew into Melbourne.

It is not yet clear if Victorians still stranded in Greater Brisbane will be able to return home in the coming days.

“The domestic border issue is quite challenging,” Mr Weimar said. “We can see looking ahead that there are likely to be more sporadic outbreaks, like the ones we’ve lived through over the last few weeks.”

With Sumeyya Ilanbey and Tammy Mills