By Juliano Oliveira
Two local areas in New South Wales have been declared COVID-19 hotspots by Queensland Health, not allowing travellers from these regions to enter the state.
The resolution arises after multiple cases of coronavirus have been registered at the Crossroads Hotel at Casula. On Sunday, Queensland Health issued a public health alert urging those who visited the hotel to get tested.
“Any Queenslanders who have been to the Crossroads Hotel from July 3 to July 10 inclusive should get tested for COVID-19 as soon as possible and then immediately self-isolate,” Deputy Premier and Minister for Health and Ambulance Services Steven Miles said.
“The hotel is a busy stopover for many travellers, so it is very likely that there are a number of Queenslanders who have been there during this period.”
Chief Health Officer Dr Jeannette Young said the purpose of hotspots were to assist in containing the spread of COVID-19 within the community.
“Until today, all current COVID-19 hotspots were located in Victoria. Currently, the whole State of Victoria remains a hotspot,” Dr Young said.
“We are watching this situation very closely, and we remind people to remain alert but not alarmed.
“It is important to remember that we are all in this together. The onus remains on our community to remember that the pandemic is far from over. We need to rapidly respond to outbreaks like this by testing and self-isolating.”
Understand
Queensland’s border restrictions mean people who have been in a COVID-19 hotspot within the last 14 days will no longer be able to quarantine in Queensland and will be turned away at our border.
This applies to everyone who has been in a COVID-19 hotspot in the past 14 days, except people needed in Queensland for essential purposes.
Queensland residents who have been in a COVID-19 hotspot can return home but will be required to quarantine in government provided accommodation at their expense.
There are testing facilities right across the state including GPs, fever clinics and pop up clinics. To find your nearest location, visit the Queensland Health website.