Covid Qld: Infected NSW man in community for seven days
Authorities are scrambling to contain a possible outbreak of the Delta Covid-19 variant after a NSW man accused of illegally fleeing Sydney’s lockdown is believed to have been out in the Queensland community while infectious for seven days.
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A New South Wales man accused of illegally fleeing Sydney’s coronavirus lockdown, despite knowing he was a close contact of a positive case, is believed to have transmitted the virus to a Queensland flight attendant.
Authorities say the man ignored orders to quarantine at home after a colleague tested positive to the Delta variant and instead travelled to Queensland in breach of Sydney’s lockdown, before lying about his whereabouts when health staff contacted him with his positive test results.
Chief health officer Dr Jeannette Young said it was believed the man flew from Sydney to Ballina where he was picked up by the Brisbane flight attendant on July 14 and driven to Queensland.
Dr Young said the two active cases had been infectious in the community for a significant amount of time and visited several locations across Brisbane and the Gold Coast between July 14 and 21.
The growing list of exposure sites was on Sunday updated to include three Westfield Chermside barber shops and the Prince of Wales Hotel at Nundah.
Dr Young said the flight attendant – a woman in her 30s from Banyo – was legally allowed to cross the border to Ballina at the time, but the man was not supposed to have left his home or Sydney.
The man was informed on July 10 that he was a close contact of a positive case at his workplace in Sydney and was required to home quarantine for a fortnight until July 24.
On July 12, the man tested positive to Covid-19 at a private pathologist, however, the man was incorrectly notified he had tested negative.
Despite the false negative notification, the man was still required to continue isolating for the duration of the 14-day incubation period.
He defied that order when he left Sydney, which was in lockdown, and travelled on Virgin flight VA 1139 to Ballina airport where he was picked up by the Qantas flight attendant. Subsequent genomic testing on the July 20 revealed the man was positive.
NSW Health immediately informed him of the error and during that conversation he allegedly misled authorities, claiming he had remained in isolation as directed.
Dr Young said the flight attendant was believed to have been infected by the man who was only identified by Queensland authorities subsequently as a close contact of the flight attendant.
“The first we knew he was a concern was late (Saturday),” she said.
Dr Young said Queensland Health only found out late Saturday there had been an error made by a NSW lab with regards to the negative test results. She said government officials were still trying to clarify the confusing situation.
“There appears to be a lab error in the testing result, that they were negative,” she said.
Since arriving in Queensland, the pair visited several locations in Brisbane and the Gold Coast while infectious until the woman developed symptoms and was tested on July 21. Once authorities were notified of the woman’s positive result, the man was identified as a close contact and placed in hotel quarantine by Queensland Police.
The man returned a positive test result late on Saturday, which prompted Queensland health authorities to communicate with NSW counterparts and discovered the man’s illegal movements.
NSW Health’s Dr Jeremy McAnulty confirmed the man was contacted by the department on July 20 and said NSW Police was investigating. “The case was immediately contacted and interviewed that day, he stated he had been isolating since the 10th of July, however, we know this is not true” Dr McAnulty said. “We are concerned about the nature and extent of his exposures on the flight and in the community both in New South Wales and Queensland … we have referred the matter to NSW Police.”
Deputy Premier Steven Miles warned that Queensland should expect more cases in coming days.
“It underlines that the risk in Brisbane and the Gold Coast in particular remains very, very real.”
He said the wearing of masks “remains important” with people in South East Queensland required to wear masks until Friday.
Despite the risk, The Courier-Mail spotted dozens of people not wearing masks at Burleigh Heads on the Gold Coast on Sunday.
It comes as Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk touched down in Brisbane and began her 14-day quarantine after travelling to Tokyo to secure the 2032 Olympic Games.
Ms Palaszczuk, who celebrated her birthday on Sunday, and Brisbane Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner arrived at about noon and were taken to the Westin for quarantine.
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