Covid 19 coronavirus: Reports of more new cases in Victoria; Melbourne Cricket Ground among exposure sites

A nurse conducts a Covid test at a drive-through clinic at the Melbourne Showgrounds on May 25, 2021. Photo / Getty Images

There are reports tonight Victoria's new daily cases could climb to double figures.

Victoria confirmed seven new community cases earlier today. Now, a school in Victoria is being closed immediately after a teacher tested positive tonight.

The teacher from Bacchus Marsh Grammar attended the school's staff day on Monday but has not been in contact with any students.

In a letter to parents, the school confirmed that it would close and that teachers were being tested and isolating.

Bacchus Marsh, 50km northwest of Melbourne, is a short drive from Ballan where Sydney removalists who carried the virus across the border visited a McDonald's restaurant and a petrol station on July 8.

The ABC is reporting that the teacher has a friend who lives in the apartment building in Maribyrnong where the removalists worked.

"This is clearly a very rapidly moving situation," Victoria's Covid-19 Commander Jeroen Weimar said.

"We're very keen to make sure we get a very firm grip of this as soon as we possibly can."

Earlier today authorities confirmed the seven other cases were linked to a returned family and a crew of removalists, who both came into the state from New South Wales while unknowingly infectious.

Four of the new cases live on the third floor of the Ariele Apartments in the inner-west Melbourne suburb of Maribyrnong.

The complex was put into lockdown on Monday, with authorities revealing the infected removal crew spent up to five hours moving furniture into the building and shared lifts with residents.

The removalists also visited sites in Ballan and Broadmeadows before driving to South Australia and then returning to NSW, where they tested positive to Covid-19.

Another of the new cases is a man in his 60s who visited the MCG on July 10 between 4pm and 8pm.

A nurse conducts a Covid test at a drive-through clinic at the Melbourne Showgrounds on May 25, 2021. Photo / Getty Images

It was revealed on Tuesday that 300 primary close contacts had been identified in Victoria and linked to the NSW travellers. They were ordered into isolation for 14 days.

Victoria now has 20 active coronavirus cases.

97 new cases in NSW, lockdown extended

NSW recorded 97 new community Covid-19 cases today and extended the Greater Sydney lockdown for at least two weeks.

Premier Gladys Berejiklian had foreshadowed the extension was coming, saying this week it would be virtually "impossible" for the stay-at-home orders to be lifted at midnight this Friday as planned.

Today's new cases bring the total number of infections in the Sydney outbreak to 864.

Of the new cases, 60 were in isolation throughout their infectious period, seven cases were in isolation for part of their infectious period and 24 were infectious in the community. The isolation status of six cases remains under investigation.