Warwick United servo owner reveals true cost of confirmed COVID contact

News of the confirmed COVID exposure at the popular fuel stop spread across Warwick almost as quickly as any virus, leaving the store’s team desperate to reassure customers amid declining sales.

Warwick United owner Umer Muhammad said the Wallace St servo being listed as a COVID exposure site had significantly affected customer numbers in less than 24 hours. Picture: Jessica Paul

Contact with a confirmed COVID case has left a Warwick service station almost deserted less than 24 hours after it was announced, during what would ordinarily be a busy school holidays.

Queensland Health listed the Warwick United petrol station at 86 Wallace Street as an exposure site on Sunday night after a COVID-positive person entered between 5.30pm and 5.45pm on Friday.

Service station owner Umer Muhammad said he was shocked to receive the call from Darling Downs Health, and had to take urgent action to protect both employees and customers and comply with government requirements.

“Around that time of day we are very busy with customers coming and going every minute, so we can’t be sure who’s coming through and where they’re coming from or going,” Mr Muhammad said.

“We had to thoroughly clean everything, which we were doing anyway, and our tills are socially distanced as well.

“I had to ring my staff member and tell him to get tested. He had a negative result yesterday and doesn’t have any symptoms, but he still has to be in quarantine until July 9 and then get tested and have a negative result again.”

Mr Muhammad said the busy time of day made it difficult to track which customer eventually tested positive for COVID, but said he was thankful only one staff member was working at the time. Picture: Jessica Paul

Mr Muhammad said the Warwick fuel stop was inundated with phone calls from concerned residents when the news broke, with suspicions the COVID contact was responsible for the significant drop in sales over the next 24 hours.

“We’re definitely very quiet today, especially for school holidays. I don’t know if that’s why people are scared to come over here, but we’re definitely all good now,” he said.

“Everyone else on our team is all good, and fingers crossed our (other team member) will test negative again too.”

Warwick’s exposure to the virus comes as the NSW Government confirms a positive COVID case in Glen Innes, less than three hours south of the Rose City.

Three cases have been confirmed in Queensland within the past 24 hours, bringing the state’s total number of active cases to 41.

More than 17,000 people have now received the COVID vaccine across the Darling Downs Health region, including 592 in Warwick and 275 in Stanthorpe.

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk declared the state to be “on the verge” of another lockdown on Monday morning, with face masks mandatory from 1am Tuesday for 11 council areas across Greater Brisbane.

All Queenslanders must observe additional restrictions including a 100-person cap on private gatherings, 200 at weddings and funerals, and the return of the one-person-per-2 sqm rule at all public venues.