Queensland in midst of lockdown fears over Delta outbreak linked to truckie, daycare child

Queensland has recorded no new local cases of Covid in the past 24 hours, while authorities continue to work frantically to track down visitors to a high-risk venue.

Health authorities are still frantically attempting to track down four people who attended a Beenleigh nail salon at the same time as a Covid-infected truckie.

Health Minister Yvette D’Ath warned that waiting a week for people to come forward, after not checking in at the venue, was “too long” and presented a risk to the region.

Ms D’Ath said the message was simple: test, check-in and vaccinate.

“We don’t want to be trying to find people days later whether they’ve been to a venue,” she said.

It comes as Queensland records no new cases of locally-acquired Covid in the past 24 hours.

Five overseas acquired were detected in hotel quarantine.

All five staff at Stylish Nails salon, which the Covid-positive Logan truckie visited on Monday last week, have tested negative.

Four customers have also tested negative, however there are three or four others who have not yet been identified.

Chief health officer Dr Jeannette Young urged anyone who attended the salon last Monday morning needed to come forward to get tested.

There are now 20 active cases across Queensland while 10,192 people were vaccinated on Sunday.

Stylish Nails at Beenleigh Marketplace Shopping Centre. Picture: Liam Kidston.

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said the risk associated with the Beenleigh cluster was decreasing.

“We have less risk now, it’s easing,” she said.

Dr Young thanked those from the Beenleigh and Logan communities for their assistance in coming forward and getting tested.

Dr Young said all 20 close contacts – three staff and 17 children – of the four-year-old Boulevard Early Learning Centre child who tested positive last week have been tested and came back negative.

Thirty-six children related to the Windaroo State School who were deemed close contacts have also been tested with 34 coming back negative.

As of today, there are 341 GPs in Queensland that have Pfizer vaccines they can use.

Dr Young repeated that GPs weren’t using all of their supply and that Queenslanders should be coming forward to get their jab.

Beenleigh Marketplace Shopping Centre. Picture: Liam Kidston.

Ms D’Ath urged those who were at the nail salon to make themselves known to Queensland Health, even if they have been tested.

Chief Health Officer Dr Jeannette Young wished to thank all members in the Beenleigh and Mt Warren Park community who have been assisting them with their test and tracing.

“I want to thank everyone that goes to schools and the childcare centre there, because of this I think the risk is decreasing, but it’s not zero” Dr Young said.

Dr Young and Ms D’Ath expressed their concern about the duration of time that has passed between the nail salon being declared an exposure site and people coming forward to get tested and make themselves known to Queensland Health.

“A week later is just too long,” Ms D’Ath said.

“The message to Queenslanders is simple: Test, check in, vaccinate” she said.

The Health Minister doubled down on the importance of checking in, and expressed disappointment in so far unsuccessfully using CCTV to trace the patrons of the nail salon who did not check-in

“We don’t want to be tracking down people days later,” she said.

“Even if you’ve gone and got tested, and got a negative result, make yourself known to Queensland Health. We need to know so we can test and trace.”

Deputy Police Commissioner Steve Gollschewski said 93 vehicles were refused entry at the Queensland border on Sunday.

He said that 107 Queenslanders returning home had received an exemption to enter hotel quarantine, while 149 applications were approved for those relocating.

‘We are trying to do a 50/50 split,” he said.

Chief health officer Dr Jeanette Young. Picture: Sarah Marshall

It comes after a 46-year-old truck driver tested positive for Covid-19 on Thursday last week and had been out in the community while infectious for a number of days.

Dr Young has previously warned one new case of the highly infectious Delta variant would trigger stay-at-home orders.

She said if cases arose from the Beenleigh Marketplace in an “uncontrolled” situation, then she would have to consider a lockdown.

Originally published as Queensland in midst of lockdown fears over Delta outbreak linked to truckie, daycare child