Qld coronavirus: New COVID-19 cases spark urgent border review
The actions of two young women at the centre of a potential Queensland coronavirus outbreak are now the subject of a criminal investigation as Queensland authorities urgently assess how the state’s strict border measures are working.
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QUEENSLAND authorities will urgently assess how the state’s strict border measures are functioning after two teenagers failed to self-isolate after returning from Melbourne.
Deputy Commissioner Steve Gollschewski said investigations into the two women were about “ascertaining the truth”.
Authorities are looking at whether it was booked as one trip or two separate flights.
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Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk yesterday insisted it was crucial everyone told the truth when crossing into Queensland.
“We need people to tell the truth and now is not the time for Queenslanders to be going to greater Sydney,” she said.
“Now is not the time for Queenslanders to be going to Victoria.”
Mr Gollschewski said an investigation into the women, including the way they crossed the border, would be undertaken.
“Can I just tell you that this is a criminal investigation that we’re conducting, so I am constrained around what I’ll say about that at this stage,” he said.
“So, the investigations are about ascertaining the truth.
“So we want to work out what has actually happened here, not only in terms of what any individual may have done but also how the system has operated and see whether there is things we need to consider.
“So we will do that very thoroughly and very quickly.”
It comes as Independent Education Union QLD and NT branch secretary Terry Burke called for paid pandemic leave for casual workers in private schools in a bid to prevent them from going to work while sick.
“We’ve written to employing authorities seeking assurance they have response plans in place, and drawn attention to the high level of risk that the economic drive to be at work of casual employees [has] and the need for paid pandemic leave to be readily available,” he said.
“We’re unaware of any employee that has put explicit paid pandemic leave for casual employees in place, we’re obviously calling on them to do that,” he said.
“In all seriousness, that’s an obvious position to take, better to prevent rather than to have to respond.
“If you’ve got people coming to work because they’re casual employees even if they’re sick because they don’t get paid if they don’t come to work, that’s obviously [a risk].
“We think that there should be paid pandemic leave for all casual employees.”