Queensland is scrambling to prevent a second coronavirus outbreak, after two women who returned from Melbourne last week but didn’t self-isolate tested positive for COVID-19. We cannot stress this enough: if you’re required to self-isolate, do it.
The two women flew from Melbourne to Brisbane via Sydney last Tuesday, 21 July, on flights VA 863 and PA977. Rather than self-isolating, as is currently required, the young women “went about their business within the communities” as normal, Health Minister Steven Miles said.
It means there is now significant contract tracing to be done. All their close contacts, mostly in the Logan and Springfield areas, are now being notified. That includes people who visited shopping centres, restaurants, a church, and the Parklands Christian College, where one of the women works.
A furious Dr Jeannette Young, Queensland’s chief health officer, said their “reckless” actions will be causing a “lot of inconvenience” for people – which, hopefully, will be the worst of it.
“It is very disappointing this has occurred,” Young said.
“Two young women returned from Melbourne, which we know is an absolute hot spot with a lot of cases, return from Melbourne on the 21 July via Sydney and now tested positive.
“As a result of that, a lot of people are going to be inconvenienced. And I do apologise to those people for what is now going to have to occur. But we know that if we act really fast now we can stop this spreading further and cause even more inconvenience to a lot of people. So there are going to be shopping centres, a school, restaurants close now for at least 48 hours while we arrange a deep clean of those facilities and contact trace people who attended.”
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She has also advised all aged care facilities in the Metro South be closed to visitors, and that screening of staff should ramp up.
Given the two women have been out and about in their communities for eight days, anyone from the Logan, Acacia Ridge and Springfield Lake areas is advised to get tested immediately if they have any symptoms at all or are in any way concerned.
“If they have got any symptoms at all or a fever, even a history of a fever, to immediately come forward and get tested and isolate themselves until they get the test result,” Young said.
“If everyone in the southern part of Brisbane absolutely commits to do that today then we will all be a lot safer.”
These two cases are the first ones Queensland has detected outside quarantine since May. The borders are currently closed to anyone who has been in a hotspot in the past 14 days, which includes Melbourne, the Mitchell Shire, and parts of NSW. A full list is here.
Queensland Police are now investigating how the two women crossed the border without being urged to self-isolate.
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