A woman has been sacked from her job in aged care after it was revealed she breathed on a camera crew during an anti-lockdown and anti-vaccination protest in Melbourne.
The woman was one of many who gathered at Flagstaff Gardens in Melbourne's CBD over the weekend.
They rallied against the state government's decision to introduce a seven day lockdown to curb the spread of the latest coronavirus outbreak.
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The demonstration was held on the state's second day of lockdown, which technically prevented people from conducting public gatherings.
The woman was filmed by a Channel 7 news crew, who were trying to document the protest.
Reporter Teegan Dolling called out the woman on Twitter and wrote: "This disgraceful thing was filmed breathing on a camera crew at today's anti-lockdown/anti-vax protest in the city. Police witnessed it and took her into custody."
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The state government was also disgusted by not only the woman's actions but also by people breaking lockdown restrictions.
Victorian Health Minister Martin Foley said in a press conference after the rally was done: "The virus does not respond to protests. There are five legal reasons to leave your home - protesting against a virus isn't going to work.
"And if you do, you are breaching the public health orders...and that involves significant fines."
After the incident was widely publicised, the protestor's employer discovered what happened and has since fired her.
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Baptcare, a faith-based, non-profit organisation that provides aged and home care, has released a statement, saying the employee's actions were inappropriate.
"The employee also failed to practice social distancing, and did not wear a face mask, mandated at this time so as to minimise the spread of infections, such as COVID-19," the statement read.
"Baptcare does not condone the actions of this employee, which were unacceptable, and out of step with our expectations as an employer, and the expectations of the community more broadly.
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"To this end, Baptcare commenced a review of the incident relating to the employee's behaviour. The review has concluded, and the person has left our employ."
There are fears Victoria's lockdown could be extended beyond the initial seven-day announcement as cases continue to rise.
The Age reports senior government ministers met last night to debate whether to keep the state locked down. One in 10 positive cases have caught the virus from a stranger, which has raised serious concerns about whether this latest outbreak can be contained.
Featured Image Credit: Teegan Dolling/TwitterTopics: Australia
