Queensland records one new locally acquired COVID-19 case as truck driver tests positive, Gold Coast family breaches border

A Queensland truck driver has tested positive to COVID-19 and health authorities are investigating his movements.

The man travelled from Sydney to Queensland and then back to New South Wales, Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said.

The man was infectious in the community for five days from August 28 to September 1 and contact tracing investigations are underway.

This is in addition to the truck driver from NSW recorded yesterday.

Health Minister Yvette D’Ath said the new case is a 46-year-old truck driver from Windaroo in Logan who tested positive in Pimpama and is deemed infectious from August 27.

“We will of course release any exposure sites once we make contact with this gentleman.

“We ask people, especially in the Gold Coast area, to check the website regularly.

“The Delta strain continues to pose a real threat to the community underling the importance of our efforts to maintain strong borders and vaccine all those eligible.”

Gold Coast family refusing to be tested after returning from Melbourne

Queensland Health is also seeking information from a family of five on the Gold Coast who are believed to have travelled to Melbourne.

The Australian International Islamic College in Carrara on the Gold Coast has been closed after the children boasted about travelling to and from Melbourne.

Ms Palaszczuk said the family has been placed into mandatory hotel quarantine for 14 days.

“This is very serious, we need this family to cooperate with authorities,” she said.

Ms D’Ath said indications are the family recently travelled to Melbourne before returning undetected to the Gold Coast via an inland route.

“Unfortunately, this family is refusing to be tested and so far, is not cooperating with authorities and refusing to reveal where they’ve been,” Ms D’Ath said.

“However, we do know the children in this family did attend school on 31 August.

The school said it was closed today as a precaution, following advice from Queensland Health and tomorrow was a planned pupil-free day. 

Executives from the college met this morning to determine the next course of action.

The school said it was working with Queensland Health and does not want to cause alarm within the community.

Mayor urges government not to ‘overreact’ by declaring a lockdown 

Gold Coast Mayor Tom Tate said he hoped the incidents on the coast would not prompt talks of a lockdown for the region.

“Contact tracing of the truck driver is the absolute priority right now,” he said.

“I urge state health officials and the Premier to not overreact by bringing in a city-wide lockdown.

Mr Tate said he would refrain from commenting on the Gold Coast family refusing testing, as “they are facing significant legal matters from their alleged action”.

Queensland also recorded one overseas-acquired case that was detected in hotel quarantine.

About 51 per cent of eligible Queenslanders have had one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, and 32.28 per cent are fully vaccinated.

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NSW truck driver tests positive after being in Queensland for one day

Ms D’Ath said another case involving a truck driver from NSW who tested positive was also under investigation.

The man was believed to have been infectious in Queensland for one day and was announced as a positive case yesterday.

“Known Queensland exposure sites linked with this man are in Archerfield, Goodna and Goondiwindi,” she said.

“I want to clarify that this gentleman is from New South Wales and got tested in New South Wales so this is classed as a New South Wales case.

“But the reason we are notifying about it because he was in Queensland for one day while infectious.”

A full list of locations and times have been provided on the Queensland Health website.

Last week, two Queensland truck drivers sparked a COVID scare, before being reclassified as false positives.

Jeff Banfield runs a motel near the Goondiwindi truck stop and said businesses were waiting nervously to see if more COVID cases were connected to the exposure site.

He said they were already on a knife’s edge with the latest border closure.

“We’re struggling as it is and this … could be the straw that breaks the camel’s back if we go into lockdown,” he said.

It comes as the state’s Chief Health Officer Jeannette Young has again had her extraordinary powers extended in a bid to limit or respond to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Dr Young’s powers would have expired this month but the government is seeking to have them extended until April next year.

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