Queensland authorities say a young Brisbane man appears to have acquired Covid-19 in the local community – though the exact source remains a mystery – and might have been infectious for several days.
The man, 26, from the north Brisbane suburb of Stafford, had visited a Bunnings Warehouse, supermarkets and restaurants in the Stafford, Fortitude Valley/Newstead and Redcliffe areas since last Friday.
They include:
— Annastacia Palaszczuk (@AnnastaciaMP) March 26, 2021
- Carindale Shopping Centre
- Bunnings at Stafford
- The fresh food market stall at Gasworks, Newstead
- Mamma's Italian Restaurant at Redcliffe
- The Guzman y Gomez drive-through at Stafford
- Aldi at Stafford
- Locations in Fortitude Valley over the weekend
The state has reintroduced some restrictions that will apply to visitors at hospitals, aged care, disability care correctional centres in the Brisbane and Moreton Bay local government areas. More severe restrictions, such as a three-day lockdown like that imposed on Brisbane in January, have so far not been deemed necessary.
The Queensland chief health officer, Jeanette Young, said the man, who works outdoors as a landscaper, began to develop symptoms on Monday. He isolated afterwards and has subsequently returned two positive tests.
“He stayed home, he’s been fantastic,” Young said.
“This gentleman developed symptoms on Monday, became reasonably unwell. He then stayed home so he had been out and about in a pre-symptomatic period as you would expect for a young man.
“We have tested him twice on different platforms and both times he has tested positive so we know it is a confirmed positive case. We are doing other tests on him as we speak, so gene sequencing for example. And other tests to get those results through today and tomorrow to assist us.”
The man has not travelled overseas and the source of his infection is a mystery. Genomic testing is underway to determine the variant of the virus.
The Queensland premier, Annastacia Palaszczuk, said the restrictions were sensible and urged people to wear a mask if they were attending crowded areas.
“This is no need for alarm,” Palaszczuk said.
“If you’re going to a football match on the weekend, wear your mask going into the venue. If you are on a crowded train, put a mask on. These are the sensible precautions and we will be updating you over the weekend there are any more cases.”
