Dreamworld, Sandstone Point Hotel added to Qld Covid-19 exposure sites

A popular southeast Queensland pub is one of two new hotels added to exposure sites linked to a flight attendant who has tested positive to Covid-19 in Queensland.

A flight attendant who tested positive to Covid-19 visited Dreamworld and a restaurant on the Gold Coast.

On Friday afternoon, it was also revealed that she visited two hotels north of Brisbane, including the popular Sandstone Point Hotel near Bribie Island.

The Banyo woman, whose case was announced by authorities on Friday morning, spent more than three hours at the theme park on July 16 and visited Koi, in the popular Broadbeach dining precinct, on July 14.

The Sandstone Point Hotel near Bribie Island is now listed as an exposure site.

Five new sites were added to the list just before 5pm on Friday and revealed the flight attendant visited the Sandstone Point Hotel between 1.10pm and 1.50pm on July 18 before making her way to the Sundowner Hotel at Caboolture, where others may have been exposed to the virus between 2.51pm and 3.01pm.

Woolworths at Banyo Retail Centre was visited on Friday, July 16, from 4.27pm to 5pm and the nearby BSW Banyo from 5.02pm to 5.12pm.

The Chemist Warehouse at Virginia is listed from 1.09pm to 1.20pm on Tuesday, July 20.

Dreamworld said Queensland Health had informed them that an individual who visited the park between 10.30am and 2pm last Friday, July 16, had since tested positive to the virus.

Dreamworld has now been added as a low risk exposure site, along with at least one other Gold Coast venue.

The flight attendant also visited Koi Dining at Broadbeach on July 14, from 1.50pm to 2.50pm. The restaurant has been deemed a close contact site.

Other sites added today are a series of flights on Sunday, July 11: Flight QF2534 – Brisbane to Longreach; Flight QF2535 – Longreach to Brisbane; Flight QF2346 – Brisbane to Gladstone

And on Monday, July 12: Flight QF2331 – Gladstone to Brisbane; Flight QF2374 – Brisbane to Hervey Bay; Flight QF2375 – Hervey Bay to Brisbane

The theme park issued a statement to notify its guests.

“Dreamworld’s number one priority is the health and safety of guests and team members, and the park operates under a Queensland Health approved Covid Safe Plan,” the statement said.

Koi Dining at Broadbeach on the Gold Coast. File photo

“Queensland Health has advised that any guests who visited Dreamworld on Friday the 16th of July from 10.30am to 2pm should monitor their health and, if they develop even the mildest of COVID-19 symptoms, get tested.

“Dreamworld team members who came into direct contact with the positive guest are being identified, asked to isolate immediately and to present a negative test result before returning to work.”

Dreamworld requires guests to check in using the Qld Check-In App, and it is understood Queensland Health is currently contacting all guests who visited at the same time as the guest in question.

It is understood the flight attendant did not work after experiencing symptoms.

The Courier-Mail understands the flight attendant had been rostered to work after she first experienced symptoms but she called in sick.

Qantas released a statement on Friday disclosing that the airline was working with Queensland Health to contact customers and crew on the flights.

“The crew member has not worked since 11-12 July (10+ days ago) and did not develop symptoms until 13 July,” the statement said.

“The crew member is currently in self-isolation and we are providing them our full support as they focus on their recovery.

“Investigations by Queensland Health and Qantas Medical are underway to determine how the crew member contracted the virus.”

The cabin crew member did not leave the airport in Longreach or Hervey Bay.

Other crew who operated the flights have been deemed close contacts and must isolate until 14 days since they last worked together, which is about three more days.

Throughout the pandemic, Qantas has had one confirmed flight where transmission occurred which was in March 2020 when around 60 passengers from the Ruby Princess cruise ship boarded a four hour flight from Sydney to Perth.

Safeguards including mandatory mask wearing had not been introduced at that time.