Dozens attended illegal engagement party with positive COVID case

There are fears an alleged illegal gathering to celebrate an engagement could have been a super-spreader event, prolonging Melbourne’s sixth lockdown.

Police are investigating the gathering attended by an infected person from St Kilda East on August 11.

In a video of the gathering, seen by 3AW, dozens of maskless people gather in what appears to be a private residence, and the groom-to-be jokes about how it’s legal because it’s a “group therapy session” as his father is a “mental health clinician”.

Under Melbourne’s Stage Four restrictions, which came into place on August 5, private and public gatherings are not permitted.

Premier Daniel Andrews yesterday said Melbourne’s COVID-19 situation wasn’t good but stopped short of confirming an extension to the lockdown.

Former state government minister and prominent member of the Jewish community, Philip Dalidakis, said he knows some of the people at the gathering and is “genuinely shocked at the brazen disregard for our laws”.

“There was more than one doctor present at the event,” he told Neil Mitchell.

“This is not representative of the overwhelming Jewish community, but a small subset.

“It’s about time that people are held to account for their behaviour.”

Mr Dalidakis called on Jewish community leaders to criticise the behaviour.

“Within the ultra-Orthodox and the Orthodox you have people there that probably don’t consume mass media, that don’t rely on outside influence, and so the response for the rabbis and the members of and leaders of their own community then becomes extraordinarily important to relay that message

Press PLAY below to hear Mr Dalidakis’s response to the brazen flouting of lockdown rules

Press PLAY below to hear Ross and Russel discuss the footage

Dozens attended illegal engagement party with positive COVID case