Freedom day for 15,000 families forced to quarantine during South East QLD Covid outbreak

Thousands of families are set for freedom after being caught up in the South East Queensland Delta cluster. This is the inside story on Covid’s rapid spread across Brisbane’s western suburbs.

Freedom day looms for thousands of Queensland families forced into home quarantine during the latest outbreak of Covid-19.

But authorities have warned people to remain vigilant as their mandatory isolation ends, with multiple positive cases detected late into their quarantine periods.

Covid testing at Indooroopilly State High School in the initial days of the Delta outbreak. Picture: Dan Peled

Queensland yesterday recorded 11 new Covid-19 cases, of which 10 were linked to the Indooroopilly cluster and currently in home quarantine.

One case was acquired overseas and detected in hotel quarantine, taking the number of active cases to 155.

Multiple schools have been caught up in the cluster, with four closed down entirely and their school communities ordered into 14-day home quarantine.

Beginning with a 17-year-old Indooroopilly State High School student testing positive on July 30th, her sibling’s positive case then sent Ironside State School into quarantine after a teacher also tested positive.

Brisbane Grammar School closed after becoming a Covid-19 exposure site.

At least 40 cases have since been linked to ISS, with a karate class attended by students from multiple schools also leaking the virus to Brisbane Grammar School.

BGS has now recorded at least 19 cases between students, teachers, and parents.

Two students and a parent linked to neighbouring Brisbane Girls Grammar School have also tested positive, with their community in home quarantine.

St Joseph’s College Gregory Terrace, St Peters Lutheran College, St Aidan’s Anglian Girls’ School and Anglican Church Grammar School were also named as potential exposure sites, though no students from those schools ultimately tested positive.

During the outbreak Indooroopilly emerged as the state’s biggest hot spot area with more than 50 exposure sites, followed closely by St Lucia, shutting down huge swathes of the suburbs.

More than 15,000 people were currently in home quarantine and while the majority of ISHS families were set to be released today, ISS, BGS, and BGGS families would need to wait until tomorrow.

Chief Health Officer Jeanette Young yesterday pleaded with families not to be tempted to leave earlier, even after recording a negative day 12 COVID-19 test, and said they were still seeing cases “pop up towards the end of that incubation period”.

Among those set to be released is Cliona Whiting, who has been in quarantine with husband Peter and daughters Cara, 20, Rose, 18, and Amy, 16.

Brisbane Girls Grammar School family Peter and Cliona Whiting, with daughters Rose, 18, Amy, 16, Cara, 20, and dog Declan. Picture: Liam Kidston

Like many caught up in the outbreak and forced into home quarantine, Cliona and Peter are health care workers, while Rose was forced to celebrate her 18th birthday in isolation.

But Ms Whiting said the family had stayed positive, and tried to “make the most of it”.

“We are certainly counting the days,” she said.

“But everyone’s been very supportive … we’re really looking forward to visiting a cafe.”

The Courier-Mail understands at least 30 families have been ordered to undergo extended isolation periods, after being further exposed or recording positive cases.

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said as more people were tested towards the end of their quarantine period, she expected to see similar numbers of positive cases in the coming days.

More than 31,000 tests were performed in Queensland in the past 24 hours.

Traffic backs up to suburban streets as residents are tested for Covid-19 at a pop up testing clinic at Indooroopilly State High School. Picture: Jono Searle

Meanwhile Canberra was yesterday plunged into a snap, seven-day lockdown after the territory recorded a positive case of Covid-19.

It has been more than a year since the ACT had recorded a locally-acquired case.

New South Wales recorded 345 cases and two deaths, while Victoria recorded 21 new locally-acquired cases.

How Covid cluster spread across Brisbane schools

July 30: A 17-year-old Indooroopilly State High School student tests positive to COVID-19. The school is closed for deep cleaning for at least 48 hours.

July 31: A sibling of the ISHS student – who attends Ironside State School – is confirmed to have tested positive.

A teacher at the school also tests positive.

August 1: Four people who attended a karate class at Ironside State School are confirmed to have tested positive, including a student from Brisbane Grammar School, with his father also testing positive. BGS families are ordered into home quarantine.

A member of the Brisbane Girls Grammar School community also tests positive, with their school’s community ordered into home quarantine.

August 2: Two BGS students test positive. Seven students at Ironside State School, plus five relatives, test positive.

August 3: One case from ISHS, four cases at BGS, two cases at BGGS, three cases at Ironside SHS.

August 4: Four cases to ISS, including one teacher, two cases at ISHS, one case at BGS.

August 5: Three cases at ISS, nine household contacts of ISS, one teacher at BGS, two students at BGS, one household contact at BGS.

August 6: Five cases household contacts of ISS, three household contacts of ISHS, two cases household contacts of BGS cases.

August 7: Two cases are household contacts of the karate class, one close contact of karate class, five household contacts of ISS, four household contacts of ISHS, one is close contact of BGS.