New Queensland virus case linked to women who flouted quarantine after Melbourne trip
Dr Young says residents at the Bolton Clarke aged care facility are being closely monitored. Photo: ABC
One new case of coronavirus has been confirmed in Queensland and has been linked to three women who allegedly flouted quarantine rules after returning from Melbourne, Health Minister Steven Miles says.
He said the woman who has tested positive is the wife of a 27-year-old man who tested positive yesterday, and that she was already in quarantine.
The woman works at the Bolton Clarke aged care facility in Pinjarra Hills.
Chief Health Officer Jeannette Young said the woman may unknowingly have worked at the centre while she was infectious.
“We do think that it’s possible she was infectious when she worked her last shift at that facility,” Dr Young said.
She said extra nurses would be brought in to the facility to assist with the health response.
Dr Young described the aged care facility — which has 150 residents and 105 staff — as “superb” and said staff there were doing an excellent job.
She said all residents and staff would be tested and the residents were already separated.
“It is a superb facility — it couldn’t be better set up for a situation like this,” Dr Young said.
“All of the residents have their own private bedroom with and ensuite bathroom,” she said.
“This is the best possible place for those residents,” she said.
Dr Young said all of the residents would be monitored “much more closely” for symptoms.
“If any of those residents do test positive though we will immediately move them to a hospital.”
Mr Miles said more than 11,000 people were tested across the state yesterday.
“Queenslanders did an amazing job … we cracked our record number of COVID-19 tests. We smashed passed it in fact,” he said.
Overnight, Queensland Health released a list of places that the 27-year-old man might have visited while infectious.
Mr Miles told people who had been in those locations that there was “no need to panic”.
“It’s designed to assist you with assessing what your level of risk is,” he said.
“If they have any concerns at all for their health, they should go and get tested.”
Charges laid over alleged border smuggle attempt
In the past 24 hours, more than 5,000 people have flown into Queensland, with 114 people diverted to hotel quarantine, while one person was refused entry.
At road border checkpoints, 6,745 cars have been intercepted and 80 turned around.
Mr Miles said people from 35 cars were sent to into hotel quarantine.
Police are also investigating an incident where two people tried to cross the border in the back of a truck.
Mr Miles said the people would be charged for breaching the COVID-19 travel restrictions.
“It should send a message to anyone … they will be caught,” he said.
-ABC