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- Melbourne and Brisbane have been issued urgent COVID-19 alerts after more viral fragments were discovered in wastewater across Victoria and travellers accidentally breached restrictions at Brisbane International Airport
- Similar wastewater alerts have been issued before, but the latest warning comes after a “strong and unexpected” surge in viral fragments
- As such, 246 people have been asked to get tested as a precaution given the viral fragments could indicate an active case travelling through the community
- Meanwhile, hundreds of people at Brisbane International Airport have been potentially exposed to the virus after two travellers from Papua New Guinea unwittingly entered a “green zone” of the airport
- The travellers were meant to stay in the red zone but were accidentally allowed into the green zone for around two hours
- One of the two travellers has since tested positive for COVID-19
- They were allowed to mingle with hundreds of Brisbane travellers set to depart for New Zealand, though CCTV footage shows they wore masks the whole time and had minimal interaction with other people
Melbourne and Brisbane have been issued an urgent COVID-19 alert after more viral fragments were discovered in wastewater across Victoria and travellers accidentally breached restrictions at Brisbane International Airport.
Melbourne wastewater concerns
In Melbourne, similar alerts have been issued following wastewater testing over the past year and, so far, no new cases have been identified from testing associated with the wastewater alerts.
However, Melbourne’s Department of Health said today a “strong and unexpected” surge in viral fragments has been discovered in the city’s western and northwestern suburbs.
As such, 246 people have been told to get a COVID-19 test as a precaution. Of these 246 people, four are close primary contacts of a known case in Victoria and 242 have recently returned from red and orange travel zones.
All primary contacts have already been tested for the virus and returned negative results, but the Melbourne health department is urging them to get re-tested.
“This additional action is being taken due to the strength of the wastewater detection and because a known positive COVID-19 case, from flight QF778, has been in Victoria in the past 14 days,” the Department of Health said.
The department said the viral fragments could simply be from several people shedding the virus after the infection period, but precautions are being taken because it could indicate someone in the active infectious stage of the virus is travelling through these areas.
Brisbane airport breach
Meanwhile, hundreds of people in Brisbane have been put at risk of COVID-19 infection after two travellers from Papua New Guinea unwittingly entered a “green zone” at Brisbane International Airport.
The travellers were supposed to stay in the airport’s red zone but were accidentally allowed to enter the green zone, which is reserved for the New Zealand-Australia flight bubble.
The two travellers were allegedly in the green zone for around two hours alongside hundreds of passengers due to depart for New Zealand.
One of the two PNG travellers has since tested positive for COVID-19, meaning other people in the green zone at the same time have potentially been exposed to the virus.
Queensland Chief Health Officer Dr Jeanette Young stressed that the travellers entered the wrong zone through no fault of their own.
She added that the risk to Queenslanders was likely low as CCTV footage shows the pair of Papua New Guinea travellers had minimal interaction with other people at the airport and wore masks the whole time.
Nevertheless, everyone who was in the green zone over the same time period has been asked to monitor for symptoms and get tested immediately if they feel unwell.
