Coronavirus Townsville: Chief Health Officer Jeannette Young concerned about COVID-19 in North Queensland
Townsville has been put on high alert after coronavirus was found in the sewerage with the Chief Health Officer warning people not to be complacent.
Townsville
Don't miss out on the headlines from Townsville. Followed categories will be added to My News.
- Innisfail death: Tributes for taxi rank assault victim Alex Ollson
- Townsville Grammar School’s Emily Price gets the city’s best ATAR score
TOWNSVILLE has been put on high alert after coronavirus was found in the sewerage with the Chief Health Officer warning people not to be complacent.
The New South Wales Northern Beaches cluster grew significantly over the weekend, and the Queensland Government is putting strict measures in place to help stop the potential spread of coronavirus.
The Townsville Public Health Unit detected traces of the virus in the Condon wastewater treatment plant. It follows a positive result on October 9.
COVID-19 RESTRICTION: WHAT’S NEW
>Queenslanders in greater Sydney have until 1am Tuesday to return, be tested and quarantine at home.
> More road checkpoints will be in place. Anyone coming across the border must have a declaration pass.
> Pubs, clubs and cafes have 72 hours to get digital contract tracing.
>Anyone from greater Sydney who has arrived in Queensland in the last week is being asked to get tested.
Sewerage tested in Cairns, the Gold Coast, and Cleveland also returned positive results.
Chief Health Officer Jeannette Young said there could be people in these areas from Sydney because they were “tourist areas”.
“I am concerned that there are people from Sydney who have gone up to those areas in the North,” Ms Young said.
The Chief Health Officer urged anyone who have been in greater Sydney who was in the North to come forward and get tested.
She added it would not be useful to “randomly go through the population and test people who were asymptomatic”.
Townsville Public Health Unit physician Dr Julie Mudd said the benefits of sewage testing is that it could indicate the possibility of undetected cases of COVID-19 in the region.
“People shouldn’t be alarmed but they shouldn’t be complacent either, if you are sick go and get tested and then stay home until you get your results,” she said.
“This surveillance testing is extremely sensitive. It picks up tiny pieces of genetic material (RNA) of COVID-19. This is dead virus material so there is no risk to the community.”
MORE STORIES
PHOTOS: Family home destroyed by fire just days from Christmas
Texas Longhorn Tours’ world record holding star JR passes away
Local seafood is being snapped for Christmas
Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk has also warned that businesses will have 72 hours to get digitised contract tracing in place. If pubs, clubs and cafes continue to use paper contract tracing, restrictions will tighten with those businesses forced to return to a one person per four square metre rule.
People will also have to sit down to drink.
“We are in a serious situation and we must be able to contract trace at any time,” Ms Palaszczuk said.
This follows issues with contract tracing at the Glen Hotel in Brisbane, where it has been difficult to track some people down whose information was illegible.
Originally published as Coronavirus Townsville: Chief Health Officer Jeannette Young concerned about COVID-19 in North Queensland
Locals rally for Pallarenda clean up
The Townsville community can join together today for the Great Barrier Reef Clean Up at Pallarenda.
‘Not where my focus has been’: LNP candidates remain mum on abortion
KAP leader Robbie Katter has accused David Crisafulli of stealing his voters, while the three LNP candidate hopefuls have stated any law changes are ‘not their focus’.