Queensland has been put on high alert after coronavirus was found in sewage at a string of wastewater treatment plants, including three in Brisbane.
Viral fragments of the virus were detected at facilities in the state capital, as well as those servicing Hervey Bay – such as one in Maryborough.
In total, seven plants showed evidence of the virus – Caboolture South, Oxley Creek, Bundamba, Gibson Island, Luggage Point, Maryborough and Pulgul.
While it is not unexpected for the virus to be detected in Brisbane’s waters, due to infections in hotel quarantine, the other plants are a cause for concern.
The urgent health alert comes as Australia abruptly suspended its travel bubble with New Zealand, where a woman tested positive to the highly-infectious South African Covid strain.
The Luggage Point, Gibson Island and Oxley Creek sites process waste from Brisbane residents while Purgul is the wastewater facility servicing Hervey Bay, a popular tourist spot on the state’s Fraser coast.
The Bundamba facility services the city of Ipswich, which is home to 210,000 residents.
Coronavirus have been detected in sewage at three wastewater plants servicing Brisbane (pictured, Brisbane residents returning to daily life after a recent three day lockdown)
‘While this does not mean we have new cases of COVID-19 in these communities, we are treating these detections seriously,’ Queensland’s chief health officer Dr Jeannette Young said in a statement.
‘A positive sewage result means that someone who has been infected was shedding the virus. Infected people can shed viral fragments and that shedding can happen for several weeks after the person is no longer infectious.’
Dr Young reminded residents to get tested and isolate if symptoms develop. regardless of how mild.
Symptoms include fever, cough, sore throat, runny nose, fatigue, diarrhoea, nausea or vomiting, and loss of taste or smell.
‘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,’ Dr Young said.
Queensland recorded two new cases on Monday which were acquired overseas and detected in hotel quarantine, almost three weeks after Brisbane was plunged into a three day hard lockdown.
Australia has suspended its travel bubble with New Zealand after the trans-Tasman neighbour recorded tested positive to the highly-infectious South African Covid strain. Pictured is a traveller arriving at Sydney Airport from New Zealand
It comes as Australia suspended arrivals from New Zealand for 72 hours and strengthening airport health screenings after the country’s first infection in months.
The female returned traveller, 56, tested positive after completing 14 days of hotel quarantine in Auckland – and is believed to have a South African mutant strain of the virus.
The woman, who is believed to have contracted the virus in hotel quarantine from another traveller, has since visited a number of locations across New Zealand with her husband while unknowingly carrying the strain.
A list of the 31 places she visited on her travels since being released, including supermarkets, cafes and retail stores.
Federal health minister Greg Hunt said the decision to suspend the green zone travel bubble was done so out of ‘an abundance of caution’ as Australia notched up its eighth consecutive day without a locally-acquired coronavirus infection.
Travellers scheduled to arrive in the next 72 hours will be put in hotel quarantine when they arrive and passengers urged to reconsider their need to travel.
Virus fragments of coronavirus was detected in sewage at seven wastewater treatment plants in Queensland’s south-east (stock image)
Hervey Bay (pictured) is one of the new latest Queensland communities on high alert after coronavirus was detected in sewage from a local wastewater plant
‘They will, as a consequence, have to go into hotel quarantine, or such other arrangements as individual states may implement, for up to 14 days, but for a minimum of 72 hours and to have a test,’ Mr Hunt said.
‘Anyone who has arrived in Australia on a flight from New Zealand on or since January 14 is asked to isolate and arrange to be tested and to remain in isolation until they have a negative test.’
Deputy Chief Medical Officer Michael Kidd said the South African variant was ‘more transmissible and presents a heightened level of risk’
Queensland Health has urged anyone who has arrived in state from New Zealand since January 14 to get tested and quarantine until they receive a negative result
‘We are urging anyone who has returned from New Zealand to get tested immediately, even if you do not have symptoms and to quarantine until you receive a negative result,’ a statement read.
‘Contact tracing is currently underway by New Zealand Health authorities.’
Australia has suspended its green zone travel bubble with New Zealand for 72 hours (pictured, passengers at Wellington International Airport last year)
NSW Health has issued a similar alert for anyone who has arrived from New Zealand between January 14 and January 24.
Affected travellers have been asked to check these venues of concern and, if they have been to any, to follow the associated health advice.
Enhanced screening has been put in place at Sydney Airport.
Australia has not recorded a case of coronavirus in the community since January 17 when six cases were reported in Western Sydney, linked to the Berala BWS cluster.
Eleven cases were recorded in returned travellers in mandatory quarantine on Monday, with three of those in NSW, six in Victoria and two in Queensland.
Mr Hunt stressed that Australia had no criticism of the person concerned or New Zealand’s handling of the case.
‘We understand they behaved in a model way,’ he told reporters.
‘They used QR codes, they checked in. That is precisely because they left a digital footprint in many places that there’s a period of concern.
‘We have been very happy working with New Zealand, we’ve kept that green zone open.
‘There have been challenges. They are one of the world’s best contact tracing systems. They are doing outstandingly well.’
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