Queensland has recorded one new coronavirus case in the past 24 hours, a male healthcare worker at the Ipswich Hospital, west of Brisbane, Health Minister Steven Miles said.
Mr Miles said the man, who is in his 60s, was a close contact of a known case at the hospital and tested positive on his tenth day of quarantine.
« It underlines how important it’s been that we put all of those workers in quarantine, and at one stage we had 221 staff at the hospital in quarantine, » he said.
« There is no risk of community transmission from that particular case, and that’s precisely what we want to see here on in. »
Queensland Health believed the cluster at Ipswich Hospital, which has been contained to healthcare workers, was linked to a cluster in corrective services at Wacol, in Brisbane’s west.
In the past five days there has been two new cases of COVID-19 in Queensland, both of whom were in quarantine.
Mr Miles said after a drop in the state’s testing rate, it had now rebounded with more than 11,000 tests conducted state-wide in the last 24 hours.
Mr Miles said the criteria used by Queensland authorities in deciding hotspots and restricted locations was that of the Australian Health Protection Principal Committee (AHPPC).
He said the Government was considering health advice on whether to allow those living in the ACT to enter Queensland.
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Mr Miles said they would be looking for 28 days of no community transmission outside of quarantine.
« We will look at the feasibility of the ACT given their long period of no transmission, but that’s challenging given they’re enveloped by New South Wales.
« We want to see those borders open up just as soon as it’s safe to do so, » he said.
He accused Prime Minister Scott Morrison of rejecting the AHPPC’s advice in attempting to design a separate definition of a hotspot.
« If you’re going to have experts, then you have to at least consider their advice, » Mr Miles said.
« You can’t reject their advice before it even gets considered by national cabinet, which appears to be what Scott Morrison has done here. »
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AEST = Australian Eastern Standard Time which is 10 hours ahead of GMT (Greenwich Mean Time)
SOURCE: https://www.w24news.com
