Coronavirus Queensland: Premier’s desperate plea to Queenslanders
In a personal message to the state, shared with The Courier-Mail, Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk has urged anyone with “minor” symptoms to be tested for COVID-19 and warned “it’s likely we will find more” active cases.
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Once again Queensland, we have to fight an outbreak of COVID-19.
It will take a while for advanced genomic testing to tell us how it got here but I can tell you everything is being done to contain it.
We have planned for this.
Our Rapid Response started when the first case emerged at the Brisbane Youth Detention Centre on Thursday.
We began testing staff and young people.
Nine new COVID-19 cases, six linked to youth detention centre
New restrictions as fears grow over detention centre cluster
As you know, those tests have revealed another six cases and it’s likely we will find more.
We have once again thrown protective arms around our most vulnerable, shutting down access to Aged Care facilities and those for people with disabilities.
To cut the risk of community transfer we have cut the number of people you can have in your home from 100 to 10 in the local government areas of Brisbane, Ipswich Logan City, Scenic Rim, Somerset, Lockyer Valley, Redlands and Moreton Bay.
Please avoid crowds.
Places like cafes, pubs, stadiums, gyms, churches and community sport are not affected because they have excellent COVID-safe plans.
Weddings and funerals can proceed with a COVID-safe plan.
You’ll remember the last time this happened was in late July.
It was disappointing. But then, something happened.
Thousands stepped forward for testing in Logan, Springfield and Ipswich.
They queued for hours. They kept Queensland safe.
They made sure our schools and businesses could re-open.
And now we have to do it again.
There are 14 testing clinics in Metro North, Metro South and West Moreton. Additional ones are being opened at Browns Plains Community Medical Clinic and a drive-through at the Bundamba Costco. For a full list go to health.qld.gov.au.
This pandemic is brutal.
It has robbed us of so much.
But I would rather be facing it in Queensland than anywhere else in the world.
Our strategy is the same as always:
– Stay home if you’re sick
– Keep up your social distancing and
– Practise basic hygiene
Please, get tested even if you have the kind of symptoms you once shrugged off as minor.
We have to look after each other. Just as we always do.
Annastacia Palaszczuk is Premier of Queensland.