Covid-19 scare in Sunshine Coast after Melbourne couple escape lockdown, one tests positive

A huge contact tracing effort in Qld and NSW is underway after a Melbourne couple escaped lockdown before one tested positive.

Urgent contact tracing is underway after revelations of a covid scare where a Melbourne couple left lockdown and drove through New South Wales to Queensland’s Sunshine Coast before one tested positive.

The pair are reported to have spent several days in regional NSW before moving north to Queensland on June 5, where a 44-year-old woman tested positive in Caloundra on June 8.

Queensland still regards Melbourne to be a Covid hotspot, with travellers from the southern state’s capital required to complete hotel quarantine on arrival.

Queensland Health Minister Yvette D'Ath says the couple entered the state on June 5. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Dan Peled

The woman and her husband left Victoria on June 1, after a hard lockdown was announced.

Health Minister Yvette D’Ath said the woman entered Queensland on June 5, passing through Goondiwindi and Toowoomba.

She is staying with family at Caloundra, including her husband, who has so far tested negative.

“The woman was tested yesterday and, it was confirmed today, that it was a positive case,” Ms D’Ath said.

Queensland’s chief health officer Dr Jeanette Young remained calm and did not lambaste the couple for leaving Victoria during lockdown.

Queensland’s CHO Dr Jeanette Young says the there are six close contacts of the woman and her husband. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Dan Peled

She said there were more than half a dozen exposure sites in Queensland, including a McDonald’s in Goondiwindi, a service station in Toowoomba and the women’s section at Kmart in Caloundra, over three days.

The woman stopped at numerous regional towns in NSW including Gillenbah, Forbes, Dubbo and Moree.

She visited those towns between June 1 and June 5, where she signed into several venues using QR codes.

“I don’t know the details of why they left or what the reason was,” Dr Young said.

“Of course we will be looking into how all this happened.”

She said contact tracers had so far identified six close contacts and results are pending on those people. While her husband has not tested positive, he is being monitored in Sunshine Coast University Hospital.

Dr Young said the woman developed symptoms on June 3 and empathised with Queenslanders about the positive case.

“She has been out and about since she arrived – since June 5,” she said.

“Any case of COVID is frustrating.

“The community has had to put up with so much now for 18 months and to do this again, it doesn‘t matter the cause, any community case of COVID is going to be frustrating for a lot of people.”

Queensland Police Deputy Commissioner Steve Gollschewski said the couple’s movements would be examined and they would be questioned on their reasons for travelling into the state while Victoria was declared a hotspot.

Queensland deputy police commissioner Steve Gollschewski said police would investigate. Picture: Steve Pohlner

In the meantime, their prime concern was contract tracing and to determine who has been exposed to the virus, he said.

“Of course we are going to investigate the circumstances of what’s happened here,” Commissioner Gollschewski said.

“We’ve got a couple that have come from Victoria when Victoria is in a lockdown.

“All the aspects of how that’s occurred, including what’s happened in the other states, we will do in a cooperative manner with our colleagues in Victoria in New South Wales.

“We’ll examine all those issues around passes, whether they are appropriate and what has happened – it is too early to say.

“The whole purpose of our investigation will be to establish the facts.”

Exposure sites:

June 5:

Goondiwindi: McDonalds (7.35am - 7.50am)

Toowoomba: Caltex Super Petrol Station (11am - 11.15am)

June 6:

Moffat Beach: Sunnys@Moffat (2.35pm - 3pm)

Kings Beach: Coffee Cat (3.30pm - 4pm)

June 7:

Caloundra: Stockland Shopping Centre (10.45am - 11.30am)

Caloundra: Stockland Shopping Centre: Coffee Club (10.5oam - 11.05am)

Caloundra: Stockland Shopping Centre: Kmart - women’s section (11am - 11.15am)

Kawana Shoppingworld: Female toilet, JB Hi-Fi (1pm - 1.10pm)

Kawana Shoppingworld: JB Hi-Fi (1.10pm - 1.30pm)

Kawana Shoppingworld: Foodcourt (1.30pm - 2pm)

Caloundra: Bunnings (12.10pm - 12.45pm)

Kawana Shoppingworld (1 - 2pm)

June 8:

Caloundra: Baringa White’s Supa IGA (3.50pm - 4.10pm)

Caloundra: Baringa Female toilets, near Baringa White’s Supa IGA (4.05pm - 4.15 pm)