Coronavirus QLD: Women who failed to self-isolate identified

Two women who failed to self-isolate after travelling from Melbourne to Brisbane, and have subsequently been diagnosed with coronavirus, have been identified.

The two women at the centre of a potential Queensland coronavirus outbreak have been identified.

Olivia Winnie Muranga, a cleaner at Parklands Christian College in Park Ridge, and

Diana Lasu, both 19, travelled together from Melbourne via Sydney, arriving in Brisbane on July 21.

The Courier-Mail has made attempts to contact Ms Muranga, which have so far been unsuccessful.

Olivia Winnie Muranga works as a cleaner at Parklands Christian College. Picture: Facebook

A Facebook image of Diana Lasu

The school’s principal today said a COVID-infected cleaner went to work for three days before calling in sick.

Principal Gary Cully said that other staff members at the private school were now in isolation as well, due to concerns they had direct contact with Ms Muranga.

Confirmed COVID case ate at Springfield restaurant

COVID test clinic to be set up at Parklands Christian College

Logan heads for lockdown after cleaner tests positive

Brisbane coronavirus on northside sees city divide

Now is not the time to leave Queensland: Premier

“The staff member was on site last week and then rang in sick and then that’s when the trace program started,” Mr Cully said.

“I think they were onsite three days.

“As far as I’m aware they were not symptomatic while they were onsite and then called in sick the following day and then the next week were tested.”

It’s understood the cleaner went to work on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, before seeing a doctor on Saturday, who told her to get immediately tested.

She did not get tested until Monday.

It’s believed she also went out in the community on Tuesday when she should have been in quarantine awaiting the result of the test.

Mr Cully confirmed that alongside the infected staff member, “a number of other staff members have also been placed in isolation as a precautionary measure due to their direct contact with the infected person”.

“Parklands Christian College has taken extra safety measures during this challenging season to keep our staff and students safe,” he said.

“As soon as we found out that the staff member tested positive, we alerted Parklands families and staff, and have closed our doors for professional cleaning and disinfecting which is happening today.”

He said they believed that the infected worker had “limited contact” with students and the wider college community.

“Our children and our staff are like family and we are doing everything possible to keep them safe now and in the future and that includes fully co-operating with the Metro South Public Health Unit.

“Parklands has and will continue to follow all government directions and advice to ensure the safety of our students, our staff and our parklands community and will provide updates as they become available.”

Mr Cully said he hoped the school would be able to open again next week but would wait for public health advice.

The woman and a friend have both tested positive for coronavirus after a trip to Sydney and Melbourne.

The school will now be closed on Wednesday to allow cleaning and contact tracing.

Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk says she was absolutely furious about the state’s two new COVID-19 cases with the Premier describing her anger as she announced all of Greater Sydney would now be locked out of Queensland.

“There will be a thorough police investigation here but now we have to act as a community and in the areas where the Chief Health Officer says need to be closed, will be closed and I urge people in those areas when that list goes out later on today to please ensure that if you are feeling sick you must go and get tested,” she said.

“It is incredibly important now more than ever if you are feeling sick you must go and get tested.”

It’s understood the two women who tested positive had been to both Melbourne and Sydney and had lied to authorities about their travel.

Deputy Police Commissioner Steve Gollschewski said the circumstances of the young women’s re-entry into Queensland from Melbourne was under criminal investigation.

“Initial investigations indicate there were incorrect details on border declaration passes,” Mr Gollschewski said.

“This highlights why you need to declare if you’ve been to Victoria where there’s been a high instance of community transmission.

“You need to think about those around you – not just yourself.”

Queensland Law Society immediate past president Bill Potts said breaching the directions could incur a $4,003 fine or in some cases six months jail.

“They’ve got to have effectively lied on the form and be demonstrated to have knowingly done so,” he said.

“If found guilty of it it is an extraordinarily irresponsible and dangerous thing for them to do.

“The trouble with prisons is they are basically petri dishes with bars, and the concern is why would you jail someone who may well have a disease and put them in with people with compromised immune systems.

Mr Potts said police were hamstrung when it came to people entering and basically had to take them at their word.

“Despite the fact that a lot of police at the border don’t have the resources to do anything other than rudimentary checks on people’s driver’s licences and where they’re from,” he said.

“They almost rely entirely upon the honesty and frankness of the people making the declarations”.

Chief Health Officer Jeannette Young claimed the two women had returned from Melbourne on July 21 via Sydney and have since tested positive.

Dr Young said shopping centres and schools will now be closed for 48 hours while deep cleans are undertaken.

“We need to act really, really fast,” she said.

She said anyone who lives in the Logan and Acacia Ridge areas who have symptoms should get tested.

It is believed one of the COVID-19 positive cases visited ChaTime at The Grand Plaza shopping centre at Browns Plains on Tuesday, while the Woodridge Shopping Centre has also been identified by authorities as a place visited by one of the cases.

Woodridge Shopping Centre is being deep cleaned, according to Macalister MP Melissa McMahon.

It was also confirmed that one of the two women who tested positive for COVID-19 ate at a Thai restaurant in an Ipswich shopping centre on Sunday night.

Health Minister Steven Miles claimed they had both recently travelled together, including returning to Brisbane from Melbourne on July 21 via Sydney.

“They travelled on flights VA863 and VA977,” Mr Miles said.

“The Queensland Health contact tracers are identifying close contacts from those flights.”

Earlier Queensland Health said work was still ongoing to determine where the virus may have been acquired, including working with the new cases to gather necessary information about places they may have visited.

“These young women have gone about their business within the communities that they live in,” Mr Miles said.

“So there will be a large amount of contact tracing to be done, largely within the Logan and Springfield areas – including shopping malls, restaurants and a church.

“Our contact tracers are doing that work right now.

“There are also a number of close contacts in both of their households.”

The school has 700 students and about 46 teaching staff and 65 non-teaching staff according to the latest data from 2019 on the My School website.

“The woman, who is under isolation, tested positive late yesterday after returning from interstate last week,” A Queensland Health spokesperson said in a statement.

“The school will temporarily close until further notification to allow for cleaning and work will commence on contact tracing.”

It is understood a testing clinic will be established at the Baskerville Sports Centre, at the school, from today.

In a letter to school personnel obtained by The Courier-Mail¸ Queensland Health urged anyone feeling unwell to ‘isolate immediately and avoid contact with others’.

“Queensland Health is currently working closely with the College to assess the situation,” the letter said.

“Public Health advice will be provided to people who are identified as close contacts.”

The new case brings the Queensland COVID-19 total to 1077, with six active cases.

Additional reporting Judith Kerr, Antonia O’Flaherty, Jack McKay, Domanii Cameron, Angela Seng, Jessica Marszalek & Patrick Billings

Originally published as Coronavirus QLD: Women who failed to self-isolate identified