Brisbane’s COVID-19 cluster not completely contained, warns Chief Health Officer
A COVID-19 cluster spreading across Brisbane is set to get even worse with Queensland’s Chief Health Officer Jeannette Young revealing infected people spent a combined 101 days in the community. There are currently 28 active cases in the state.
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There are fears a COVID-19 cluster on Brisbane’s southside will get worse this week, with infectious people spending “101 days” in the community while they had the virus, Chief Health Officer Jeannette Young has warned.
The bleak outlook comes after four new cases were linked to the Queensland Corrective Services Academy on Sunday – sending the Fig Tree Pocket Early Childhood Centre and Staines Memorial College at Redbank Plains into lockdown.
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A child at the preschool and a student at the school – known contacts to positive cases – have tested positive to the virus.
Staines Memorial College has undergone deep cleaning and is expected to remain closed today after the senior student was infected.
Dr Young said Queensland Health was working to determine when the student was at school and who he was in contact with. There are no plans to introduce restrictions on educational facilities.
There are 28 active COVID-19 cases across the state and more are expected this week due to the time people spent in the community before testing positive.
“We added up all of the days in the last 14 when known cases had been out in the community while infectious,” Dr Young said.
“We have now had over 101 days (worth) of infectious people out in our community in the last 14 days. That means there have been those 101 opportunities for people to get infected, so we know that we will see more cases.”
Dr Young said it was vital people were social distancing, following COVID-safe plans and getting tested if sick.
“This is the time to get out those flat surgical masks … or if you’ve made masks with three layers of thickness,” she said.
Dr Young said the mandatory wearing of masks would not be implemented “for a while”, but acknowledged there may be a time. “I’m not confident the cluster is completely contained,” she said.
In the 24 hours to Sunday morning, 10,558 people were tested for COVID, taking the total number of tests during this latest outbreak to 131,186.
One case travelled to Toowoomba, prompting the southeast’s gathering restrictions to be expanded to the Darling Downs Hospital and Health Service region.
From today, the South Burnett, Southern Downs, Toowoomba and Western Downs local government areas will be restricted to 10 people at homes and in public places. The restrictions do not apply to commercial venues operating with a COVID-safe plan.
“If you’re in a taxi, or a ride share or on public transport, that’s a time to wear a mask,” Dr Young said.
“And public transport, if you can’t socially distance there, wear a mask.
“A lot of people are still very, very effectively working from home and that is excellent – continue doing that. If you can effectively work from home, then do that. If you can’t, there is nothing to stop you going to work.”