More than 170 people in regional Victoria are self-isolating as part of efforts to stop the coronavirus outbreak linked to Chadstone shopping centre from spreading further.
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There are now 31 cases linked to the Butcher Club in Chadstone, an increase of three since Tuesday, making it the state's largest cluster outside of aged care.
Two people in Kilmore - 60km north of Melbourne - have also tested positive to COVID-19 after a case connected to the Butcher Club outbreak dined at a local cafe.
Some 177 customers of the Oddfellows Cafe and their households are now self-isolating.
Jeroen Weimar, who is in charge of coronavirus testing at Victoria's Department of Health and Human Services, has asked anyone who visited the cafe between September 30 and October 3 to be tested even if they don't have symptoms.
"Whether you've picked up a takeaway cafe, whether you went there and had a meal, if you've had any contact with the cafe over the three days from 30 September to 3 October, we'd like you to go and get tested," he told reporters on Wednesday.
"We want to see if that will bring out any other cases. We want to get to the bottom of this as quickly as we possibly can."
Mr Weimar praised the way the business has handled the situation.
"The waitress who got tested as soon as she felt the onset of symptoms, got tested early and that's how we were able to identify an issue in Kilmore at all," he said.
"Thanks to the excellent records the cafe has kept - they gave us 177 customers who have been to the cafe over the four days."
He said 200 Kilmore residents were tested on Tuesday, while more than 1300 people have been tested at Chadstone.
Public health officers are visiting every retailer in the shopping centre.
It is the largest in Australia and claims to be the largest in the southern hemisphere.
"Chadstone has been a particularly challenging outbreak," Mr Weimar said.
"It's still a very active shopping centre for people doing click-and-collect and essential goods."
Premier Daniel Andrews thanked the 16,429 Victorians who were tested for the virus on Tuesday.
"I've said this literally thousands of times, but I will say it again because it's arguably the most important thing you can do," he said.
He denied the outbreak would derail plans to ease restrictions later in the month.
Victoria recorded six new coronavirus cases on Wednesday, of which four are linked to known outbreaks and two are under investigation.
A woman in her 80s and a man in his 90s died from the virus overnight, bringing the state's death toll from the virus to 809 and the national figure to 897.
Sixteen Victorians are battling the virus in hospital, including two in intensive care.
Meanwhile, Melbourne's 14-day case average is now 9.9, a drop from 10.6 on Tuesday, and the city's number of mystery cases between September 21 and October 4 sits at 12.
The city needs a 14-day average of five cases and no more than five mystery cases during the same period before restrictions can be to further eased on October 19.
"This trend is with us, the strategy is working," the premier said.
Australian Associated Press
