Queenslanders urged to get tested amid fears of Victorian-style outbreak
A Brisbane COVID-19 cluster is growing as authorities urge people who have visited more than 40 locations across the city to ‘urgently’ get tested.
Queensland’s latest COVID-19 cluster is continuing to grow, with the state recording one new case on Monday morning.
It is understood the new case is related to a worker at the Brisbane Youth Detention Centre who tested positive to the virus on the weekend.
There are now 18 active cases in Queensland, with more than 6300 tests in the 24 hours to Monday morning.
Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said the next two weeks were “absolutely critical”.
Queensland’s chief health officer Dr Jeannette Young said health authorities would work with the new case to determine her movements throughout the city while infectious.
“You would have seen a list of many places across Greater Brisbane, West Moreton and Logan where people who have been infectious have visited,” she said.
“If you have been to one of those places and you have any symptoms … come forward and get tested.
“We need to track this virus down … where it’s been.
“We need to act quickly and promptly to contain it.”
It comes as Queensland’s Deputy Premier warned Brisbane could be on high alert for a number of weeks as a “very worrying” cluster continues to grow.
Steven Miles said authorities were on edge and monitoring the situation closely.
“This is the largest number of community acquired cases we’ve had in months,” the deputy premier said.
“We are monitoring it closely, our entire rapid response capability has been deployed and we hope we can get on top of it.”
Major shopping centres and businesses in the southeast were forced to undergo deep cleaning over the weekend.
On Saturday afternoon, Indooroopilly Shopping Centre was added to the Queensland government’s extensive public health alert list.
Two customers, who have since tested positive to COVID-19, visited the mall.
The infected customers visited Origin Kebab and Bupa Health on August 17, and David Jones, Myer, Sweets from Heaven and Touch of India on August 19.
Deep cleaning at the shopping centre has since been completed.
It joins Westfield Carindale, Forest Lake Shopping Centre, Browns Plains Grand Plaza and Forest Lake Shopping Centre, all now listed on the Queensland government’s contact tracing list. A Bunnings store, service station, gyms and various food outlets are also on the list.
On Sunday the state recorded two virus cases – a woman in her 30s and a baby, both related a case confirmed on Saturday.
It’s understood these cases are linked to the Brisbane Youth Detention Centre.
Meanwhile, authorities are scrambling to track down 92 young people who visited the detention centre, who could have been exposed to the virus.
Dr Young confirmed police have made contact with 78 of those youths.
“Forty-two of those have been tested,” she said.
“Those 92 people … that’s me being super super cautious. I think that most of those are not a risk. I just want to absolutely check.”
So far, all of the 127 youths and more than 500 staff have been tested. It’s understood only 16 staff are awaiting results.
The cases within the cluster are understood to be at least five people who work at the centre, and five close contacts.
Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk announced new restrictions on Saturday morning effective immediately, limiting gatherings at home and in public spaces.
In Brisbane, Ipswich, Logan, Scenic Rim, Moreton Bay and Redlands gatherings are limited to 10 people inside and 30 outside, while 30 people allowed everywhere else in the state.
Mr Miles said these restrictions were brought about after seeing what large family gatherings had done in Melbourne.
“We saw a rapid increase in cases in Melbourne was (because of) large family gatherings in the home and in parks,” he said.
“Those restrictions include everyone in the house, including children.
“The restrictions in place are based on the nature of the outbreak.”
Ms Palaszczuk has ruled out additional restrictions, saying cafes, restaurants and sporting codes would be allowed to continue in line with their COVID-safe plans.
Dr Young urged anyone who felt unwell to go and get tested.
“I can in Brisbane and in Ipswich, if you’ve got symptoms of the flu, it’s most likely to be COVID, not flu,” Dr Young said.
“We’ve got very little flu in our community and we do have these seven cases of COVID.”
Queensland Labor MP Terri Butler, who was at Parliament House in Canberra on Monday, is now self-isolating.
Ms Butler said she was “one step removed” from someone who was at a contact tracing site last week.
“To be cautious I have left the parliament and have had a covid test,” she wrote on Twitter.
“I’m self-isolating while I wait for the result.”
Current contact tracing details for Brisbane Youth Detention Centre cluster:
9 August 2020: Anytime Fitness, Village Square, Browns Plains, 11am to 12:10pm
9 August 2020: Woolworths, Browns Plains Grand Plaza, Browns Plains 11am to 12pm
10 August 2020: Spotlight Browns Plains: ~9:30am to ~9:45am
10 August 2020: Anytime Fitness, Village Square, Browns Plains: 10:15am to 11:25am
10 August 2020: Woolworths, Browns Plains Grand Plaza, Browns Plains: ~11am to ~12:30pm
10 August 2020: Greenbank Takeaway, Greenbank: 5:30pm to 5:40pm
10 August 2020: Woolworths, Forest Lake Shopping centre, Forest Lake: times unknown
11 August 2020: BP Wacol (Cnr Boundary & Progress Rds), Wacol: ~6am to ~6:15am
11 August 2020: Mt Gravatt Swimming Pool, Mt Gravatt: ~10:30am to ~11:45am
11 August 2020: Dami Japanese Restaurant, Mt Gravatt: ~12pm
12 August 2020: Woolworths, Forest Lake Shopping centre, Forest Lake: ~4:30pm to ~5pm
12 August 2020: Thai Antique Carina Heights: 6pm to 6:15pm
12 August 2020: Coles, Browns Plains Grand Plaza, Browns Plains: ~7:15pm
13 August 2020: Australian Nails, Forest Lake Shopping Centre, Forest Lake: 11am to ~12am
13 August 2020: Forest Lake Shopping Centre, Forest Lake: 11am to 3pm
13 August 2020: Nandos, Forest Lake Shopping Centre, Forest Lake: after 12pm
14 August 2020: Officeworks, Browns Plains: ~10am to ~10:10am
14 August 2020: Coles, Browns Plains Grand Plaza, Browns Plains: after 10am to before 11am
14 August 2020: Ikea Slacks Creek: 11am to 2pm
14 August 2020: Woolworths, Marsden on Fifth shopping centre, Marsden: ~11:15am to ~11:30am
14 August 2020: Anytime Fitness, Village Square, Browns Plains: 2:20pm to 3:30pm
14 August 2020: Bunnings, Browns Plains: ~2:30pm to ~3pm
14 August 2020: Coles, Forest Lake Shopping Centre, Forest Lake: ~4pm to ~4:30pm
15 August 2020: Kmart, Browns Plains Grand Plaza, Browns Plains: ~9:30am to ~9:45am
15 August 2020: Anytime Fitness, Village Square, Browns Plains: 10:25am to 11:35am
16 August 2020: Woolworths, Marsden on Fifth shopping centre, Marsden: ~10am to ~10:15am
16 August 2020: Coles, Browns Plains Grand Plaza, Browns Plains: ~10:30am to ~11am
16 August 2020: Anytime Fitness, Village Square, Browns Plains: 1:20pm to 2:30pm
17 August 2020: Greenbank Takeaway, Greenbank: ~6:30pm to ~6:40pm
18 August 2020: BCF, Greenslopes: ~12:30pm to ~1pm
18 August 2020: Chemist Warehouse (Waratah Dr) Crestmead: Afternoon
18 August 2020: BP Wacol (Cnr Boundary & Progress Rds), Wacol: Evening
19 August 2020: 12 RND Fitness, Birkdale: 8am to 9:30am
19 August 2020: Woolworths, Browns Plains Grand Plaza, Browns Plains: ~9:30am
19 August 2020: The Jam Pantry, Greenslopes: 10:30am to 11:45am
19 August 2020: Westfield Carindale Shopping Centre, Carindale: ~1pm to ~3pm
19 August 2020: Bras ‘n’ Things, Westfield Carindale, Carindale: ~1pm to ~3pm
19 August 2020: Ghanda clothing, Westfield Carindale, Carindale: ~1pm to ~3pm
19 August 2020: Myer, Westfield Carindale, Carindale: ~1pm to ~3pm
19 August 2020: Baskin Robbins, Camp Hill Market Place, Camp Hill: ~5:30pm to ~5:40pm
19 August 2020: Pho Inn, Camp Hill Market Place, Camp Hill: ~5:30pm to ~5:40pm
20 August 2020: Woolworths, Marsden on Fifth shopping centre, Marsden: ~10am to ~10:15am
21 August 2020: Woolworths, Forest Lake Shopping centre, Forest Lake: ~10:30am to ~10:45am
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