1 new case today in Queensland. The case is a 68 year old woman from Ipswich and Queensland Health are urgently investigating. I will provide more information throughout the day.
Total number of cases is now 1,088 with 2 historical cases added.
Don't be complacent, if you start to feel unwell, you need to go and get tested ASAP and isolate until you get your results back.
BREAKING: Queensland borders will close to New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory from 1am this Saturday, August 8.
All visitors will be denied entry except for rare exemptions and returning Queenslanders will have to pay for 14 days mandatory hotel quarantine.
Queensland’s Chief Health Officer has declared all of New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory as hotspots.
Only residents of border communities and essential workers, such as truck drivers, will be able to cross the border.
Exemptions – including for compassionate reasons – will be limited.
Passes for border communities will be for those with proof of address and photo ID.
The border closure will be reviewed at the end of the month.
source: ABC
Queensland:
• 0 new confirmed cases
• 12 active cases
• 1,085 total confirmed cases
• 581,286 tests conducted
Sadly, six Queenslanders with COVID-19 have died. 1,067 patients have recovered.
Keep up social distancing and good hand hygiene. If you are unwell, stay home and immediately call your GP or 13HEALTH (13 43 25 84) to arrange a test.
Queensland borders are closed to Victoria and Greater Sydney.
Queensland residents who have been in a COVID-19 hotspot within the past 14 days must go into hotel quarantine at their own expense. https://bit.ly/QLDBorderRestrictions
#covid19au
Queensland records no new cases of coronavirus overnight as Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk calls for exemption "loopholes" to be closed off after one of the state's positive cases was revealed to be a returning consular official who did not need to quarantine.
Ms Palaszczuk said she would be raising the issue of exemptions being granted to overseas travellers after the returned official, who lives in Queensland, tested positive yesterday.
"I don't think the time is right now for those exemptions," she said.
Ms Palaszczuk said it would be a "matter for the chief health officers" around the country to ultimately decide.
"I just don't think we need to have any elements of risk at the moment ... and if we can close off any of those loopholes it'll keep everyone safe."
Ms Palaszczuk also called on Queenslanders to continue to come forward for testing.
Queensland now has 12 active cases and 1,085 cases in total since the pandemic began.
All 105 residents at the Bolton Clarke aged care facility have returned negative results.
Story: ABC
Your safety is our highest priority.
We understand that visiting your loved ones in hospital is important, just as much as their health.
To help prevent the spread of COVID-19 and protect you, our patients and our staff, we are limiting the number of visitors to our hospitals.
We ask that patients and visitors follow visiting restrictions and social distancing rules as follows:
each patient may have one visit per day,
with no more than two people per visit,
for a maximum visit up to two hours,
and to practice social distancing rules implemented by the Queensland Government.
Please avoid bringing children under 16 years of age to the hospital and ensure you wash your hands upon entry and exit of each ward or service area.
People may not visit a hospital if they:
have been asked to self quarantine due to travel overseas or interstate or close contact with a person who has COVID-19 in the previous 14 days
are unwell in any way, particularly with a fever, cough, sore throat and shortness of breath
are under the age of 16.
One person may remain with a patient at all times when needed for the following:
carers for children under the age of 18
carers for people with a disability
partner or support person when the patient is admitted for care related to the pregnancy
support person for emergency department or outpatient care appointments
additional exemptions may be granted for End-of-life support.
Additional restrictions may apply for some wards. These include:
Emergency Department, Outpatients, Haemodialysis Unit, Transit Lounges – 1 support person
COVID-19 Inpatient Ward – No visitors
Birth Suites – 1 support person per birth
Maternity Inpatient Ward – 1 visitor at a time, limit of 2 per day
Special Care Nursery – Parents only, one at a time. No children please
Please speak to a staff member about visits from siblings.
If you are unsure, please check with a staff member in the ward or service.
We understand this is not going to be an easy transition and that there will be a need for special considerations. If you feel there is a need for a special consideration, please call ahead to the hospital ward or area manager.
Facilities in Metro South Health follow directions about visiting from the Prime Minister and the Chief Health Officer.
Sometimes visitors need to be restricted further to ensure patients and residents are safe. It is important to protect our patients or residents from other illnesses including influenza or other non-COVID respiratory viruses.
At these times, our staff work with patients, residents and family members so everyone knows how they can help keep patients safe.
Source: Metro South Health
A Public Health Alert has been issued for locations in the West Moreton and Brisbane South area in relation to today’s (31 July 2020) confirmed case of COVID-19.
Any individuals who have been in the below locations during the relevant times are asked to monitor their health and immediately present for testing if they are experiencing any relevant symptoms.
📍26 July 2020 (11.30pm-1.35am) - Caltex Goodna - Goodna
📍26 July 2020 (12.30-2.10pm) - Sleeman Sports Complex* - Chandler
📍26 July 2020 (4-7pm) - Garden City Shopping Centre - Mount Gravatt
📍26 July 2020 (4-5pm) - Kmart at Garden City Shopping Centre - Mount Gravatt
📍26 July 2020 (4.30-5pm) - JB Hi-Fi at Garden City Shopping Centre - Mount Gravatt
📍26 July 2020 (around 5pm) - MOS Burger at Garden City Shopping Centre - Mount Gravatt
📍26 July 2020 (around 6pm) - Chatime at Garden City - Mount Gravatt
📍27 July 2020 (10-10.30am) - Café 63 - Redbank Plains
📍27 July 2020 (11am-1pm) - Bunnings Springfield - Springfield
📍27 July 2020 (3.15-4pm) - Bunnings Oxley - Oxley
📍27 July 2020 (6-8.30pm) - Basketball Court Springfield Lakes* - Springfield Lakes
📍27 July 2020 (8.45-8.55pm) - Nando’s Kenmore - Kenmore
📍28 July 2020 (8.40-8.45am) - Caltex Wacol - Wacol
📍29 July 2020 (around 10.45am) - Richlands Medical Centre Richlands Plaza - Richlands
📍29 July 2020 (around 11.35am) - SNP Collection Centre Forrest Lake - Forrest Lake
*People who are close contacts will be contacted directly by the Public Health Unit.
Additionally, the Public Health Alert issued on 29 July 2020 has been amended with an updated time relating to the Primary Medical and Dental Practice at Browns Plains on 24 July 2020 to 3:30 – 4:30pm.
If you have any concerns about your health, contact your doctor or contact 13 HEALTH (13 43 25 84).
The Alexandra Hills SmartClinics respiratory clinic is open between 8am and 5pm, Monday to Friday.
The Queensland Government has reported three new cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours - in addition to the 3 new cases announced yesterday - bringing the total case number to 1082.
One case recently returned from overseas and is in hotel quarantine. The other two cases recently returned from NSW and were not in a declared hotspot at the time. Both were in self-imposed quarantine since their return from NSW and now remain in isolation. There are now eleven active cases in Queensland, with five of them in hospital.
Chief Health Officer Dr Jeannette Young said that the fact that two of today’s cases and two yesterday’s cases had been in Sydney and Melbourne highlighted the importance of Queensland Health declaring hotspots in those locations.
"Today’s cases have done the right thing and remained in quarantine or self-isolation after coming back into Queensland.
"But because yesterday’s cases had been in the community and visited a number of locations for more than a week before testing confirmed they had COVID-19, anyone in Logan, South Brisbane or Springfield who has any symptoms at all should come forward, get tested and isolate themselves.
"Contact tracing for cases confirmed yesterday, 29 July 2020, is well underway. Most close contacts have been identified, contacted directly and provided with advice. Contact tracing is on-going.
"We have responded rapidly. We carried out over 1,000 tests in Metro South yesterday. This testing capacity has been expanded and will continue.
"Because one of yesterday’s confirmed case has not provided details of where they had been or who they had had close contact with, I’m asking all Queenslanders who may have had close contact with a known case, or who have any symptoms at all, to self-isolate and to get tested.
"I know some of the pop-up clinics have been really busy, and some people have had to wait to be tested, and I thank you for your patience. What you are doing is very important. You do not have to get tested at your closest pop-up clinic – if you have symptoms, you can get tested at any of them. You can also call your GP and arrange a test through them.
"If you haven’t already done so, please download the COVID-safe app and carefully consider plans to travel out of Queensland, especially to Victoria or New South Wales.
"With regard to applying for exemptions to the border or other directions, we are receiving a very large quantity of requests. I just want to make it clear that we grant very, very few exemptions, and only in unique or exceptional cases where adequate evidence of measures being put in place that ensures the safety the community has been provided.
"Effective yesterday, all aged care facilities on Brisbane’s South are not permitted to accept visitors due to the increased risk of infection. Additionally, there will be an increase in screening for COVID-19 and a limitation on staff transfers between facilities.
"We understand this is a difficult time, but the safety of Queenslanders is our top priority.
"The most important message is: Feeling sick? Stay home. Get tested."
For more information about public health directions, visit www.health.qld.gov.au
QUEENSLAND'S chief health officer Jeanette Young has toughened restrictions on visiting Queensland aged care homes, including Redlands, Logan and Beaudesert.
Dr Young invoked emergency powers to cut visits in the wake of the public health emergency after three teenagers from Logan visited Melbourne and Sydney, and did not reveal details of their movements when returning to Queensland.In a statement, Dr Young said the public health emergency area was for all of Queensland up to August 17 but might be extended. Redlands, Logan and Beaudesert have a swathe of aged care homes, including 27 in the bayside area alone. It applies to residential aged care facilities and prevents people visiting without lawful reason if they have been in a declared COVID-19 hot spot, have travelled from overseas, been in contact with someone who has the virus, has not been vaccinated for the flu or has a temperature equal to or higher than 37.5 degrees.
The idea is to manage contact between residents and non-residents after alarming rates of aged care home infections occurred in Victoria. All approved visitors must wear face masks and no residents must leave without approval. The main changes are for all residential aged care facilities to have a management plan in place under which it is mandatory for all staff to advise employers if they have another job and if a COVID-19 case has been found at their other workplace.
"Due to recently announced cases in Queensland extra restrictions have now been put in place for residential aged care facilities in Metro South and neighbouring suburbs in the West Moreton region, " the statement says
Restrictions include:
Visitors: No personal visitors, including care and support visitors are allowed to enter. Only persons providing an essential purpose will be allowed to enter. End of life visits will still be allowed. Anyone entering a facility must wear a single use surgical face mask. Residents cannot leave the residential aged care facility unless they are receiving health care, attending a funeral or for an emergency or for compassionate reasons. The residential aged care facility or the Chief Health Officer can provide an exemption for leave on compassionate reasons. Staff Residential aged care facility operators must make sure staff do not work across multiple facilities as much as possible. Anyone providing medical care (including staff, volunteers or family members) must wear appropriate PPE.
Story: Redland City Bulletin