A third truck driver has tested positive for COVID-19 in NSW after being infectious in Brisbane’s southern suburbs for two days.
Queensland Health issued an alert after the NSW driver visited a service station in Archerfield on Thursday and was also infectious in the community on Friday.
He is the third truckie recorded to be infectious in southeast Queensland in a week after a NSW man visited Archfield, Bundamba and Goondawindi while infectious on August 26 and another driver tested positive on Thursday.
Authorities are most concerned about the latter case, who is a 46-year-old man who passed on the virus to a four-year-old girl in the Beenleigh area.
More than 1000 families have been ordered to quarantine for two weeks after they were potentially exposed to the girl, whose parents are close family friends of the truckie, at a daycare centre and a primary school.
Chief Health Officer Jeannette Young believed the risk posed by the girl is “under control” with families linked to the Boulevard Early Learning Centre at Windaroo and Windaroo State School now in isolation.
She’s more concerned about the truck driver, who was in the community for several days with a high viral load.
“I’m very, very concerned we have had this transmission,” Dr Young said on Saturday.
“I know from the truck driver’s test result he had a lot of virus there.
A public health alert has also been issued for Beenleigh Marketplace, which the infected truck driver visited between 10.30am and 11.45am on Monday.
Those who were there at the time are asked to get tested and isolate until they receive a negative result.
Authorities are most concerned about the the Stylish Nail Salon inside the centre, which was visited by the driver, as not all of the salon’s customers had checked in.
“There was one person during that time, checked in … but we know there was at least eight customers there in addition to this gentleman … so we do need people to come forward,” Health Minister Yvette D’Ath said.
“This is a good reminder for everyone, businesses and individuals all have a responsibility to make sure that people are checking in.”
Restrictions will remain at their current setting for the time being, Dr Young said, but could be ramped up if health authorities identify transmission at the Beenleigh Marketplace.
“This is a really high risk period for us,” she said.
“It depends if we find cases who went to the Beenleigh Marketplace and have since then been out infectious in the community in an uncontrolled situation.
“That would lead me to think that we need to consider a lockdown.”
Anyone in the Beenleigh and Logan areas with even the mildest of symptoms is urged to come forward for testing.
AAP
