Queensland records one new Covid case while NSW truck driver infectious in Brisbane, second school exposed

Queensland has recorded one new case of locally acquired Covid-19 in the past 24 hours while two cases from interstate – a Qantas pilot from Kingaroy and a NSW truckie – have been detected in the state.

Queensland has recorded one new case of Covid-19 – the mother of an infected four-year-old child.

Two interstate cases have been also been recorded in Queensland – a truck driver from NSW and a Qantas pilot who lives in Kingaroy.

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk this morning said there are 16 active cases across the state, while about 15,000 vaccinations were administered by Queensland Health in the same time frame.

She said now was the time for Queenslander’s to get vaccinated.

“It is imperative that you get vaccinated because this virus will pop up in the near future,” she said.

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COVID-19 Update: Queensland Premier and Chief Health Officer speaking in Brisbane. #covid19https://t.co/W8nIe8VaBa

— Annastacia Palaszczuk (@AnnastaciaMP) September 5, 2021

“I cannot stress to you … if you’re sitting at home, and you’re thinking, well, I might just wait, don’t wait,” the Premier said.

“Every single person that gets vaccinated is protecting us from having a huge outbreak.”

Ms Palaszczuk stressed it was important for Queenslanders to continue to use the check in app.

“That is keeping yourself safe, your community safe, so we can get hold of people fast and get them into isolation.”

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk. Picture: Supplied

Queensland’s Chief Health Officer Dr Jeannette Young said the four-year-old’s mother tested negative twice before her third test returned with a positive result.

“She tested positive yesterday and developed symptoms yesterday, but she’s not any additional risk to the community,” she said.

Dr Young said it was not known whether the woman got Covid from her daughter or the Logan truckie who tested positive last week.

She said the Covid-19 situation in Queensland “hasn’t got worse” but she was concerned about people who had not checked in via the Covid app at a nail salon inside the Beenleigh Marketplace shopping centre called Stylish Nails, in Logan on August 30.
“The check in code was not used, so we’re still struggling to find the people who were there,” she said.
“We have assistance from the centre, we’re looking at CCTV footage to identify and find people.”
Dr Young said she was thankful for the 74 people who did not use the check in app but who had since contacted Queensland Health.
“I’m very worried there are a lot more people that attended Monday morning,” she said.
“It’s really, really important that anyone that was there on Monday come forward so we can test them.
“It’s really important for people who live in that Logan-Beenleigh area to wear your masks.”

The CHO said six people had gone in to the salon prior to the truck driver going entering, with three or four entering when he was in there.

Dr Young said that it was “concerning” they have not yet been able to track down everyone from the nail salon.
“It’s quite a large nail salon and we’ve only been able to track down seven people,” she said.

“It has a manager and four staff.
“Six people went in prior to the truck driver going in and three or four went in while he was there.”

She has urged anyone who visited the salon, as well as anyone else in the in Beenleigh and greater Logan area to come forward if they had been to exposure sites.

Dr Young said two cases of Covid-19 have been detected interstate in people who spent time in Queensland.

One was a Qantas pilot who lives on an isolated cattle property in Kingaroy.

She said he travelled from his home to Brisbane, where he saw his mother, then he flew to Hong Kong and back to Melbourne, where he tested positive.

Dr Young, who said the fully vaccinated pilot also works part time as a freight driver, said he was at home during his infectious period, and that his wife, who is also fully vaccinated, and children had returned negative Covid tests.

She said the pilot had driven a truck to Tamworth on August 20 before returning home.
“We’re trying to work out whether he acquired Covid in Queensland or Hong Kong,” she said.

The other case was a truck driver from NSW who had hauled cars into Queensland, stopping in Archerfield and Coopers Plains, before driving back to NSW.

Chief health officer Dr Jeannette Young. Picture: Sarah Marshall

Ms Palaszczuk also said 600 Queenslanders would be allowed to return from Monday.
“We will be trialling home quarantine,” she said.
“It’s all looking positive.”

Ms Palaszczuk said discussions were ongoing with the NSW Government regarding moving border checkpoints south.

“Unfortunately New South Wales has stay at home orders,” she said.

“Border communities need to contact the New South Wales government.”

“I really feel for them, on days like this.”
Ms Palaszczuk said she would prioritise children stuck across the border to return home.
It comes after Queensland Health added a new exposure site to its list of concern after a truck driver from New South Wales tested positive to Covid-19.
A second southside school was put on Covid alert after students came into contact with another Covid-positive truck driver who was infectious in the Southeast Queensland community.

In the latest Queensland Health alert, a truck driver visited an Archerfield BP service station between 1-1.30am and 6-6.45am Thursday morning.

Anyone who visited the BP during those times is considered a close contact.

He was infectious in the community for two days on September 2 and 3 before returning home to NSW.

Another truck driver, also from NSW, visited the same BP on August 26 while infectious.

A Logan truck driver was infectious in the community for five days, prompting fears South East Queensland could be heading for another lockdown.

The BP Service Station in Archerfield which has been visited by two Covid-19 positive truck drivers. Picture: /Josh Woning

More than 1000 families have been sent into isolation after a daughter of the truck driver’s work colleague also tested positive.

Parents at Trinity College Beenleigh were also warned about the positive case in an online letter yesterday.

Trinity College said other family members had tested negative and were following the required testing and quarantine protocols from Queensland Health.

“It is important to note that Qld Health have not contacted the school as they consider the case to be low risk,” the college’s online alert to parents said.

“We have made contact with Metro Health South and have confirmed that they consider it to be low risk to our College community.

“They will not proceed with contact tracing unless the situation changes.”

Parents were asked to follow Qld Health advice and get tested immediately if they had any COVID-19 symptoms.

There were no plans to shut the school as of Sunday.