5 February 2021
Queensland is following the lead of Western Australia and will be removing the South West region as part of the declared hotspots from 1am tomorrow (Saturday, 6 February).
The declared hotspots of Metropolitan Perth and the Peel region of Western Australia will remain in place until 1am, 14 February 2021, which is 14 days since the hotel quarantine security guard who contracted COVID-19 was last infectious in the community.
This means that anyone eligible to enter Queensland who has been in Metropolitan Perth or the Peel region of Western Australia on or since January 25 are required to enter quarantine.
Anyone who only visited the South West region of Western Australia and is now in quarantine will be able to leave quarantine from tomorrow.
Queensland Chief Health Officer Dr Jeannette Young said she is confident that Western Australia is tracking well with high rates of testing and no cases, but caution is needed.
“While Western Australia is set to come out of their lockdown tonight with no new local cases detected since the security guard tested positive, we still need to be cautious as we have not yet reached the end of the incubation period,” Dr Young said.
“Western Australia also continues to exercise caution with Western Australians ordered to wear masks when out of the house for another eight days.
“We know that someone can show up positive with COVID-19 towards the end of the 14-day incubation period - this has happened many times in hotel quarantine.
“We are following Western Australia’s lead and are keeping the hotspot declaration in place for Metropolitan Perth and the Peel region until 14 February, and we will continue to monitor the situation,” she said.
Dr Young continues to encourage anyone with any symptoms to come forward and get tested, following fragments of SARS-CoV-2 being detected in Oxley Creek, Bundaberg and Elanora sewage catchments.
Symptoms include fever, cough, sore throat, runny nose, fatigue, diarrhoea, nausea or vomiting, and loss of taste or smell.
“Getting tested is especially important now more than ever, as we know the new variants emerging overseas are more contagious than previous variants we have seen in Queensland,” Dr Young said.
“If there is a case we are not yet aware of, it is critical we detect it through our testing mechanisms as quickly as possible to contain any potential spread.
“It is, of course, also possible that this detection relates to previous COVID-19 cases who can shed viral fragments for a couple of months after they are no longer infectious,” she said.
For more information about Queensland’s wastewater surveillance program, visit https://www.qld.gov.au/health/conditions/health-alerts/coronavirus-covid-19/current-status/wastewater.
To access a full list of COVID-19 testing locations, with interactive map and post code search, visit: https://www.qld.gov.au/health/conditions/health-alerts/coronavirus-covid-19/stay-informed/testing-and-fever-clinics.
If your local testing clinic is crowded, consider attending another one.
ENDS