Qld in high risk period as authorities attempt to find nail salon customers

The next 24 to 48 hours will be critical in determining whether Queensland will be plunged into its sixth lockdown, as authorities scramble to locate potentially exposed nail salon customers.

Health authorities have declared the next 24 to 48 hours will be critical to determining whether southeast Queensland will be plunged into its sixth Covid lockdown.

The situation has been deemed a “really high risk period” with chief health officer Jeannette Young admitting she is concerned.

She said a future lockdown couldn’t be ruled out as authorities scrambled to find customers who attended a nail salon where a truck driver with the highly infectious delta strain spent 45 minutes.

It can be revealed at least eight people didn’t check-in at the Stylish Nails salon at the Beenleigh Marketplace on Monday morning, with health workers trawling CCTV footage and relying on people to come forward.

Covid hotspot Stylish Nails, Beenleigh Marketplace Shopping Centre. Picture: Liam Kidston.

More than 1000 families have been ordered to isolate at home for two weeks after a four-year-old girl, who attended a childcare centre connected to a primary school, tested positive.

The girl is the daughter of an administrative officer who is a colleague and close family friend of the Covid-positive truck driver who is from Logan.

He had received his first jab.

Dr Young said those who had been tested from the trucking company had so far returned negative results.

The chief health officer said she was less concerned about the situation relating to the child because the childcare centre and school had been locked down early.

“I’m fairly comfortable that we have the risks from the child probably covered by having the school and that early learning centre go into quarantine,” she said.

“I am more concerned about the Beenleigh Marketplace.

“We’re working with the owners of that (nail) salon to work through who else was there while he (truck driver) was there.

“Unfortunately people didn’t use the check-in app.”

The truck driver was unknowingly carrying “a lot of the virus” while in the community.

Dr Young said 600 people had checked into the Beenleigh Marketplace during Monday morning, while there were 900 car parks.

Drive Thru Covid testing centre at Logan River Parklands. Picture: Liam Kidston

“I’m concerned that not everyone checked into that shopping centre,” she said.

“So please anyone who was there last Monday morning I need you to come forward and get a test and isolate until you get a negative result.

“We know that it can be fleeting transmission that leads to transmission of the Delta variant.”

One hundred families who attended the Boulevard Early Learning Centre (Mount Warren Park) between Tuesday and Friday this week have been ordered into home quarantine for 14 days, while 960 families who attended the Windaroo State School during that same period have also been told to stay home for two weeks as authorities work through what the risk is.

“It’s really, really important that anyone who lives in that Beenleigh, Logan, upper Gold Coast area, any symptoms at all come forward and get tested,” Dr Young said.

She said she would consider another lockdown if people who went to the marketplace had since then been infectious in the community in an “uncontrolled situation”.

Spectators were allowed at NRL games on Saturday, with Health Minister Yvette D’Ath saying restrictions had not changed across the state other than limiting visitors at hospitals, aged care facilities and disability services in the Logan local government area.

Drive Thru Covid testing centre at Logan River Parklands. Picture: Liam Kidston

“The next 24 to 48 hours is critical here,” she said.

“We need to test as many people as we can and we need to ensure that we quarantine those people.

“When we don’t have check-in data and we are waiting for people to come forward and tell us they’ve been to a place, that’s where we lose time.

“I cannot reinforce enough the importance of the check-in data and everyone checking in.

“You’re putting yourself at risk by not doing so.”

Ms D’Ath said while individuals had a responsibility to check-in, so did businesses to ensure people were using the app or leaving their details.

“Businesses should not be letting people enter their premises and sit down or participate in activities or shop around without making sure they’ve checked in first,” she said.

Citing the growing cases in NSW, the Minister said Queensland could not afford to get complacent.

Queensland also recorded a Covid-19 case that was acquired overseas and detected in hotel quarantine on Saturday.

There are now 20 active cases, with 9996 tests undertaken on Friday.