By Elishya Perera
BRISBANE, Queensland (CWBN)_Queensland’s Health Minister Yvette D’Ath criticised the crew of the superyacht for being uncooperative, following the detection of a COVID-19 case on board.
One of the two new infections in the state of Queensland reported on Thursday (Dec 24) is a crew member from the foreign superyacht Lady E, which was in the Maldives in October. It arrived in Cairns, in far north Queensland, and D’Ath noted that the people on board “have not been very co-operative at all”.
According to the minister, the information provided to the Queensland police regarding the movements of the yacht and its crew was “very disappointing”, and authorities are concerned about its potential impact on the efforts to contain the virus in Cairns. The infected crew member has now been admitted to a local hospital, while the others who were onboard are being quarantined and tested.
The second case reported from Queensland on Thursday was a man who returned from Sydney’s northern beaches and tested positive while on home quarantine. Unlike the crew member, this individual received praise from D’Ath and Queensland Chief Health Officer Jeannette Young for his actions, as he had initially tested negative after returning from NSW, but remained in home isolation. Later, he felt unwell and tested positive for COVID-19.
The Health Minister noted that the man’s actions were the “gold standard” expected of anyone returning to Queensland after being in the greater Sydney hotspot.
“Anyone who has been to those hotspots, again, Queensland is relying on you to quarantine,” she said. “Queensland is relying on you to get tested and if you have any symptoms, to go back and get another test.”
Moreover, any person who feels unwell is being urged to get tested as fever clinics will remain open even on Christmas Day. It has now been 100 days since Queensland had a locally acquired case of Coronavirus in the state.
