Coronavirus QLD: Number of new cases revealed
Queensland Health has ordered 70 people who have come into close contact with a nurse who tested positive to COVID-19 to go into quarantine. It comes as reports suggest the nurse visited a university multiple times while potentially infectious.
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QUEENSLAND Health has ordered 70 people who have come into close contact with a nurse who tested positive to COVID-19 to go into quarantine. It comes as reports suggest the nurse visited a university multiple times while potentially infectious and has since been suspended.
Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk on Friday announced there were two new cases of coronavirus overnight, with an aged care nurse in Rockhampton testing positive, placing the 115-bed facility she works at into lockdown. The second case was an old case and not ‘active’.
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MP Brittany Lauga told The Rockhampton Morning Bulletin that the Rockhampton case was a nurse who may have been contagious since May 3.
Ms Lauga said it looked like the nurse, who works at the 115-bed North Rockhampton Nursing Centre, contracted it from Brisbane and had experienced very mild illness.
It’s unknown why she was in Brisbane. Contact tracing is under way and the centre has been locked down as 115 residents of the centre and 180 staff are tested.
So far, no further cases of COVID-19 have been recorded at the facility and the Rockhampton Morning Bulletin reports the nurse has been suspended.
It has since been revealed Queensland Health has ordered 70 people identified as close contacts of the nurse to quarantine.
Reports also suggest the nurse had also attended the CQUniversity North Rockhampton campus library multiple times during the infectious period - between May 3 and May 14.
The library was closed at 4pm Friday for deep cleaning by Queensland Health.
All students were notified of the potential exposure via email Friday afternoon.
Health Minister Steven Miles admitted the signs weren’t good following the discovery of the Rockhampton case.
“We have added two new cases to our total for today and one of those is a dated case from WA and the other is cause for some concern,” he said.
“We have a further confirmed case in Rockhampton, the person involved is a nurse at a stare-run aged care facility, a North Rockhampton aged care facility.
“The result for that test was confirmed at 8pm and the health service has responded very rapidly overnight.
“They have sent a rapid response team from Brisbane and are working to quarantine anyone who has come into contact
“We are testing a large number of people
“Centre is locked down and any staff in contact are in quarantine and have been tested
“The last confirmed case in Rockhampton was on 30th March
“Last active case was considered on the 1st of May.
“Things can turn very, very quickly. Someone can return from another part of the state, be tested and be confirmed as infected.”
It is understood some had been working in the facility while unwell.
Every single person in Rockhampton that has any symptoms at all is being urged to immediately get tested.
Ms Palaszczuk earlier said the Health Minister and Chief Health Officer were getting “further advice” on the case, saying it was of “some concern”.
“It does go to show that there are cases still out there in Queensland,” she said.
“We are not out of the woods and we need to make sure everybody is listening and practising their social distancing.”
The new cases comes ahead of restrictions easing across the state from tomorrow, with up to 10 people able to dine at a restaurant or cafe and Fraser Island, Moreton Island and North Stradbroke Island all to reopen this weekend for day trips.
The Premier also indicated that schools would be fully reopened to all students later this month.
State Disaster Coordinator Steve Gollschweski said the eased restrictions from Saturday that will allow up to five people from different households to visit another household was “not open slather for large house parties”.
“We will be taking enforcement action if people do the wrong thing,” he said.
“In public, up to ten people will be permitted to gather in public spaces.”
The number of infections in Queensland has risen by just 11 since Sunday, most being interstate cases added to the state tally, with zero new positive tests on Thursday.
Of the 1054 cases recorded in Queensland, only 17 people are yet to recover.
It comes as NSW authorities have issued an alert to people on a Qantas flight from Brisbane with a potentially infectious passenger.
The alert was issued for anyone on board flight QF537 to Sydney on May 12, which landed at 4.05pm.
From Saturday, public parks, playgrounds and barbecues will reopen as the state emerges from isolation.
Beauty salons will also be able to open to 10 clients at a time for some services.
Waxing, laser treatments, nail painting, eyelash extensions, facials and cosmetic injections are allowed, but clients will have to wait a little longer for spray tans and sauna treatments.
Road trips are also back on the agenda from Saturday with residents allowed to travel up to 150km from home, increasing to 500km for those in the outback. From Saturday, up to 10 people will be able to gather outside at weddings, pools and for exercise.
Kindy, Prep, and students from Years 1, 11 and 12 returned to the classroom this week, with other years expected to return to school from May 25. However, a return to normality is still weeks away.
“I know a lot of people think we can just open up tomorrow and everything is back to normal, but it can’t be back to normal straightaway because we are still dealing with the health crisis,” Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said on Thursday.
Originally published as Coronavirus QLD: Number of new cases revealed
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