Coronavirus: Queensland school closed after staff member tests positive
A Queensland school has been closed after a staff member tested positive for coronavirus.
Parklands Christian College in Logan will remain shut on Wednesday for deep cleaning after a cleaner was confirmed to have COVID-19.
A Queensland Health spokesperson told Yahoo News Australia the woman remains in isolation after returning a positive test “late yesterday” (Tuesday).
Queensland Health Minister Steven Miles told reporters on Wednesday, she had returned from Melbourne via Sydney on July 21 with another woman. Both are aged 19 and remain in Princess Alexandra Hospital.
A Queensland Health spokesperson told Yahoo News Australia the school will be closed temporarily for cleaning and contract tracing.
'Very distressing': Victorian health minister chokes up during coronavirus briefing
Coronavirus: Girl, 9, dies from virus after lying down for a nap
“Queensland Health is working to determine where the virus may have been acquired, including working with the woman to gather necessary information about places she may have visited whilst infectious.”
Queensland deputy police commissioner Peter Martin added initial investigations are “indicating that there were incorrect details on their declaration passes” when they returned from interstate.
“Investigations will look at whether that was deliberate or otherwise,” he said.
“Our concern of course is that these people were able to get through the border.”
‘Very disappointing’
Chief Health Officer Dr Jeannette Young said “it’s very disappointing this has occurred”.
“As a result of that, a lot of people are going to be inconvenienced,” she said.
“And I do apologise to those people for what is now going to have to occur.
“But we know that if we act really fast now we can stop this spreading further and cause even more inconvenience to a a lot of people.”
Dr Young said she has asked for all aged care facilities in the Metro South area to be closed to visitors and have enhanced screening of staff.
Staff are also being told not to work across multiple facilities.
The latest cases brings the Queensland COVID-19 total to 1078, with seven active cases.
The pair are Queensland’s first new cases since July 24 when the state recorded two new cases who are both currently in hotel quarantine.
Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said she’s not afraid to shut borders due to growing case numbers in NSW and Victoria.
"If there are outbreaks of community transmission or it cannot be sourced or there are clusters, we will not hesitate to declare hotspots or we will not hesitate - if it gets out of control - to slam the border shut," she told reporters on Monday.
It comes as more NSW residents will be blocked from entering Queensland from Monday, as the Fairfield area in Sydney is declared a hotspot.
Liverpool and Campbelltown in NSW are also declared hotspots, as is the entire state of Victoria.
Ms Palaszczuk says any decisions on further hotspots or border closures will be made on the advice of Chief Health Officer Dr Jeannette Young.
"That advice has stood Queensland in a very good position," the premier said.
"Every single day we are monitoring the situation in NSW."
Queensland reinstates standing pub rule
Dr Young said the state would reintroduce a rule to keep people sitting down at pubs.
“When you are out there enjoying yourself, I completely understand that it’s really hard to maintain your social distance – keeping 1.5m from each other is not normal and a really hard thing to do,” Dr Young said.
“Reinstating this restriction, which requires everyone in a bar or restaurant to be seated while eating and drinking, sends a really clear message to people to keep their distance from one another, which is much easier to do when you are seated than when you are standing up.”
Do you have a story tip? Email: newsroomau@yahoonews.com.
You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter and download the Yahoo News app from the App Store or Google Play.
