Covid-19: Truckie tests positive, Gold Coast school closed
Three locations in Beenleigh have been listed as Covid exposure sites, while a Gold Coast family at the centre of a virus scare has tested negative. FULL DETAILS >>>
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QUEENSLAND Health have listed three new Covid-19 exposure sites – all of them in Beenleigh.
The listings come after a truck driver tested positive to Covid-19 and a Carrara school was closed after reports a family of five travelled from Melbourne.
The truck driver, who was tested in Pimpama, is believed to have spent five days in the community on the Gold Coast while positive.
Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk confirmed the 46-year-old truck driver from Logan had travelled to Sydney and was still in NSW. He was tested for Covid at Pimpama before crossing the border.
“He was potentially infectious in the community on the Gold Coast for five days from August 28th to the 1st of September,” she said.
“We are contacting him to find where he has been in Queensland.”
Queensland Health on Thursday evening listed the following locations as Covid-19 exposure sites:
Sunday August 29: Total Tools Beenleigh, 87 Logan River Rd, 9.20-10am.
Monday August 30: Beenleigh Marketplace Shopping Centre, 114-118 George St, 10.30am-11.45am.
Monday August 30: Stylish Nails, Shop 11 Beenleigh Marketplace Shopping Centre, 10.30am-11.45am.
The shopping centre was listed as “low risk”, but both Total Tools and Stylish Nails were listed as “close contact” exposure venues.
Anyone who visited those two venues at the times listed is asked to get tested as soon as possible and quarantine at home for 14 days.
Ms Palaszczuk also confirmed the Australian International Islamic College at Carrara has been forced into lockdown as a result of a student allegedly boasting to classmates their family had travelled to Melbourne.
The family of five, which includes three children under the age of 10, was forced into quarantine and initially refused to undergo Covid testing. However the family relented and was tested later on Thursday.
Late on Thursday evening, Australian International Islamic College principal Christine Harman wrote to parents to say that the family had tested negative and the school would be able to reopen on Monday.
“The family has now been placed into mandatory 14-day hotel quarantine and I urge them to co-operate with authorities,” Ms Palaszczuk said.
“This is very serious.
“We need this family to co-operate with authorities.”
Health Minister Yvette D’Ath told parliament early indications were the family evaded detection on their return from Melbourne by travelling to the Gold Coast via an inland route.
Ms Palaszczuk warned the situation facing New South Wales and Victoria was “increasingly grim” amid warnings ventilators should be prioritised for people who were likely to survive.
The list of Queensland coronavirus exposure sites has been updated and includes a truck stop west of Brisbane at Bundamba, as well as locations at Archerfield and Goondiwindi.
Queensland Health said the truck driver entered Queensland on August 25 and returned to NSW the next day.
Ms Palaszczuk, parliamentary colleagues and Chief Health Officer Dr Jeannette Young did not hold the usual Covid-19 press conference on Tuesday or Wednesday.
NSW records 1116 new Covid cases in yet another horror day for state
September 1: New South Wales Premier Gladys Berejiklian has revealed her state has recorded another 1116 new locally acquired Covid-19 cases, while Queensland has recorded just one new overseas acquired case.
Ms Berejiklian has announced the new cases at NSW’s usual coronavirus press conference.
Earlier on Wednesday, Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk revealed just one new overseas acquired case.
It seems likely the Queensland government will skip its usual Covid-19 press conference for a second day.
The single case announced on social media was detected in hotel quarantine and poses no risk to the community.
On Tuesday, Ms Palaszczuk took to social media to announce a “double doughnut day”, meaning there was no locally or overseas acquired coronavirus cases to report.
There was 23 Covid-19 cases active in Queensland and 1979 confirmed cases since the pandemic began early last year.
Queensland government data showed 1924 people had recovered and seven people had died.
Tuesday was another horror day for New South Wales, with Premier Gladys Berejiklian revealing 1164 local cases and three more deaths.
On Monday, Queensland Health Minister Yvette D’Ath announced at a press conference there was no new local cases and two overseas acquired cases.
Zero new cases in QLD as NSW records 1035
Queensland has recorded zero new local Covid-19 cases on Saturday as NSW again breaks 1000 cases in a single 24-hour period.
The sunshine state recorded four new overseas acquired cases overnight, all detected in hotel quarantine.
It follows Friday’s announcement restrictions would be eased after 20 days without a case active in the community.
Restrictions in Queensland have eased regarding funeral, wedding and business capacity requirements, and dancing would also be allowed again from 4pm.
Meanwhile NSW has recorded 1035 new case and two deaths.
NSW has now proposed a series of changes in a letter to the Queensland government, including shifting the border further south to the Tweed River.
Restrictions ease in Queensland
August 27: Queensland has recorded zero new locally acquired Covid-19 cases and it has now been 20 days since a case was active in the community – leading to the easing of restrictions.
The announcement by Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk on Friday came after New South Wales Premier Gladys Berejiklian revealed 882 new local cases and two deaths in her state.
Ms Palaszczuk said during her 11.30am update in Brisbane that one new overseas acquired case had been detected in hotel quarantine.
It was also revealed restrictions in Queensland would ease regarding funeral, wedding and business capacity requirements, and dancing would also be allowed again from 4pm.
“More mates can gather at the pub with restrictions set to ease from 4pm in the 11 South East Queensland LGAs of Brisbane, Ipswich, Logan City, Moreton Bay, Redlands, Sunshine Coast, Gold Coast, Noosa, Somerset, Lockyer Valley and Scenic Rim,” Ms Palaszczuk stated.
“Venues such as pubs, restaurants and cafes can have one person per 2 sqm and you can stand at the pub for a drink.
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“Private gatherings are allowed up to 100 people and community sport is back with no restrictions.”
Ms Palaszczuk said Queenslanders must carry a mask at all times and wear it indoors, or when they are unable to physically distance outside.
Face masks must be used on public transport, in rideshares and at schools when applicable.
“These masks are a protection for us,” Ms Palaszczuk said.
“We want to make sure we’re protecting everybody and doing the right thing.”
“Queensland, these masks are still going to be really, really important.”
Ms Palaszczuk said mask requirements would be reviewed every two weeks.
Chief Health Officer Dr Jeannette Young backed the ongoing use of masks during the NSW Delta outbreak.
“Just wear a mask where you can’t socially distance, particularly indoors,” she said.
On Friday, both premiers provided updates on vaccination rates in their states.
More than 48.2 per cent of Queenslanders have received at least one dose, compared to 80 per cent of NSW residents.
On Thursday, Ms Palaszczuk said Queensland had recorded two new overseas acquired cases, both detected in hotel quarantine.
The situation was much more dire in NSW, where 1029 local cases and four deaths were reported, prompting an extension of the lockdown of the Tweed.
The Tweed Shire is separated from the Coast suburb of Coolangatta by a line on a map.
Tweed lockdown extended after NSW records 1029 local cases
August 27: Queensland has recorded two new Covid-19 cases, both detected in hotel quarantine, while New South Wales has announced three deaths and a record 1029 cases.
NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian has revealed the shocking numbers for her state at an 11am press conference – and extended the lockdown in regional areas to at least September 10.
The extension includes northern NSW council areas like the Tweed, which has never recorded any locally acquired case.
It came after Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said her state had recorded the two overseas acquired cases, but no locally acquired cases.
She said more than 710 Queenslanders were still stuck in home quarantine, more than 21,000 people were vaccinated and more than 12,000 people were tested in the previous 24 hours.
Ms Palasazczuk also provided an update on the state government’s plans to construct a large regional quarantine hub at Wellcamp, near Toowoomba.
“Regional quarantine facilities are the second part of the answer. The first part of the answer is vaccines,” she said.
“If we want to open our country up and we want to open our states up, regional quarantine is part of the answer.”
Ms Palaszczuk said hotels being used for quarantine “were not built to deal with the Delta strain of this virus”.
Work started on the 1000-bed hub earlier on Thursday after an agreement was hashed out with the owners of the nearby Wellcamp airport, John Wagner and the Wagner family.
Deputy Premier Steven Miles said there was more than 5000 people in hotel quarantine, which showed why the new facility was needed.
He said the Morrison government’s Pinkenba facility was still in the pipeline.
The government’s decision to put a stop to international arrivals for two weeks may have been avoided if the facility was built sooner, according to Health Minister Yvette D’Ath.
On Wednesday, Ms Palaszczuk announced no new coronavirus cases, while NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian revealed a record 919 local cases – none in the Tweed region bordering the Gold Coast.
Victoria announced 45 new local cases on Wednesday and another 80 on Thursday.
Thursday morning’s press conference follows the Southern Gold Coast Chamber of Commerce warning its members the border would likely stay closed until Christmas.
The chamber revealed business owners near the border were in shock and facing severe mental health issues.
Ms Palaszczuk has refused to detail what Covid restrictions will remain in place once Queensland reaches the Australian vaccination target of 80 per cent.
She said the NSW Delta variant outbreak had “moved the goalposts” around reopening and national cabinet had agreed new modelling would be needed before decisions could be made on discontinuing lockdowns and border closures.
Additionally, Ms Palaszczuk said on Thursday that from midday Queensland was putting a temporary stop to people relocating to the state, which was “being loved to death”.
She said authorities were “scrambling” to find enough space in hotel quarantine.
Hotel quarantine pause as QLD records zero Covid cases, NSW reports 919
August 26: Queensland has recorded no new cases of Covid-19 overnight and hotel quarantine has been paused for two weeks as officials struggle to accommodate demand.
NSW has recorded 919 cases overnight, as well as the deaths of a woman in her 30s and a man in his 80s.
The two truck drivers who were listed as new cases yesterday have now been cleared and removed from the list of cases.
It makes Wednesday the second day of zero cases, according to Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk.
NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian said: “We now have 6.1 million jabs given in New South Wales and nearly one-third of our population is fully vaccinated, it’s hovering at 32% or thereabouts which is great if we keep these rates up we will hit further milestones.”
About 125,000 tests were taken in the NSW community yesterday.
Starting from 12pm today Queensland is pausing allowing people to relocate for two weeks due to officials “scrambling” for hotel quarantine.
“We do not have any room at the moment,” Ms Palaszczuk said.
“Queensland is being loved to death.
‘They’ll still be able to come home, we just have to pause for two weeks.
“I want them to relocate here but we’ve just got to do it in a sensible and orderly fashion.”
As of Wednesday there were 5114 people across 22 quarantine hotels in Queensland, with 3257 domestic arrivals and 1857 from overseas.
Between August 9-20, 2750 people were granted border passes to relocate to Queensland and nearly 2000 of those were in a single week.
The Premier ruled out home quarantine for now, but said national cabinet was soon to get a report on a trail being carried out elsewhere in Australia.
Asked whether the recent Indooroopilly cluster proved that Queenslanders could do the right thing during home quarantine Ms Palaszczuk said: “We’re working through those issues.”
Under the new system, people wanting to travel to Queensland must wait for two weeks from 12pm August 25 and then reapply for a border pass. They will then have to wait for a spot to become available in a quarantine hotel.
Queensland residents currently out of state will also have to wait two weeks before attempting to get home, unless they apply for an exemption on special grounds.
The Premier said people could still hotel quarantine if they had exemptions on compassionate grounds, or had scheduled medical procedures.
She added that it was not her decision but that health and police authorities approached her with the suggested change to the hotel quarantine system.
“Not only are our hotels stretched but our staff are stretched,” she said.
“We don’t want to see Delta coming into our communities.”
The two-week pause will give the state time to get the new system up and running.
Victoria this morning announced 45 new locally acquired cases.
The Southern Gold Coast chamber of commerce has also issued a warning to border businesses, stating the border will likely stay closed until Christmas.
Queensland’s Chief health officer Dr Jeanette Young said the state’s hotel quarantine system was not a health risk at the moment because of the “fantastic” work by police and health workers.
“But it was becoming unsustainable, the number of hotels being brought online with very little notice, we can’t sustain that,” she said.
She said it wasn’t a case of just standing up more hotels, staff needed training in PPE, infection control and other matters.
Dr Young said it was critical people continued to get vaccinated and she urged those who were “not quite as enthusiastic” to come forward.
When asked about when the border would open she said it depended on a range of factors, including the state’s vaccination rate and cases in NSW.
“I would think if we continue our current vaccination rate and continue to get supply we need from the Commonwealth then I think over the next 10 weeks we should be able to see 70 per cent (of the state fully vaccinated),” she said.
She said vulnerable children aged 12-15 and those aged 16-59 should register at the Queensland Health website to get their Pfizer shot, while those 60 or over should visit a vaccination hub, pharmacy or their GP to get the AstraZeneca.
She said while Pfizer was preferable for under 60s, people could choose to visit the GP to discuss their options in regards to having the AstraZeneca vaccine.
Health Minister Yvette D’Ath said recently the state had to very quickly stand up hotels to deal with surges in arrivals as cases of Covid-19 grew in Victoria, NSW and Act.
She said NSW’s cluster was at 13,765, Victoria’s 525 and the ACT 167.
“We’re seeing a lot of people wanting to relocate to Queensland, and why wouldn’t you want to live here,” she said.
Minister D’Ath said the 85 per cent of the people who come under right of entry passes were domestic travellers wanting to relocate to Queensland.
She said making the change effective at 12pm would discourage people from “racing to get on planes” before the deadline.
“The pressures on hotel quarantine are simply unsustainable,” she said
“We never know how many domestic arrivals we have from day to day.
“So far we have been able to accommodate them and I appreciate this is a major inconvenience, but we our first priority must be keeping Queenslanders safe.”
The requirements for the NSW border zone residents remain as is, and people will be able to access essential goods and services in Queensland.
Minister D’Ath said on Tuesday there were 21,105 vaccines administered by the state, a one-day record, but she urged all residents to roll up their sleeves.
She also encouraged Queenslanders to ensure the state’s Covid-19 vaccination rate matched the childhood immunisation rate of 95 per cent.
Meanwhile, police processed 5397 vehicles at the border on Tuesday, 3296 cars and 2101 heavy vehicles. They also stopped 529 people at airports and put 294 in hotel quarantine.
On Wednesday more than 120 Australian Defence Force staff will police to help with border control. Across the state there are 525 police helping in the state’s Covid-19 response, including 84 at quarantine hotels.
For more information go to the Queensland Health website: qld.gov.au/health/conditions/health-alerts/coronavirus-covid-19
brianna.morris-grant@news.com.au
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