Locals in sleepy North Queensland town vent their outrage after 'selfish' Covid-infected woman was allowed to fly out of Melbourne despite it being declared a hot spot
- Woman, 20, has locals in Far North Queensland on edge after positive Covid test
- She attended pub identified as a Tier One Exposure site in Melbourne on July 10
- Woman didn't self isolate, was out in the community, second test was positive
- Labelled 'selfish' by irate members of Mareeba Community page on Facebook
Locals from a Far North Queensland town have vented their outrage after a Covid-infected woman flew home from a identified hot spot in Melbourne.
The woman, a student aged in her 20s, boarded a flight to the Sunshine Coast from Melbourne on July 13 and then received a text message from Victoria Health two days later.
She was informed she had attended a ‘Tier one’ exposure site at the Young and Jackson Pub in Melbourne's CBD on July 10.
But instead of self isolating in the Sunshine State after she was tested for Covid, she chose to catch up with friends, go shopping and visited popular restaurant Rice Boi in Mooloolaba twice in one day, Queensland Health officials confirmed.
The woman then made her way to her home town of Mareeba in Far North Queensland on July 16, following a negative test result, but soon started developing symptoms and returned a positive result on July 18.
Locals from a Far North Queensland town have vented their outrage after a Covid infected woman flew home from a identified hot spot in Melbourne (pictured, local shops in Mareeba where the woman is from)
Despite receiving a text message that she attended a Tier One exposure site in Melbourne's CBD and should be self isolating, the woman was out in the community, visiting venues such as Rice Boi at Mooloolaba
Melbourne's Young and Jackson pub (pictured) has been identified as a Tier One exposure site - it was also a venue where the infected woman in Far North Queensland visited on July 10
According to the Courier Mail, the woman returned home for the school holidays and caught an Uber, a bus and the Airtrain.
She then flew in to Cairns from Brisbane, where a relative collected her from the airport.
Following news of the infected woman flying in from an identified hotspot in Melbourne, reaction was brutal on social media.
Dozens of people labelled the student 'selfish' on a local Facebook community page, with one person asking: 'how hard is it to stay in your area?'
A third said she felt 'vulnerable' as she is elderly.
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A spokeswoman from Queensland Health said the woman should have self-isolated for 14 days after receiving the text message from the Department of Health and Human Services Victoria on July 15.
Anyone who has visited a venue deemed a 'Tier One' exposure site in Victoria must self isolate - even if the Covid test proves to be negative.
The spokeswoman also stated family members and friends of the woman are now viewed as close contacts and will need to isolate until they receive their result.
The woman, who was transferred to a Brisbane hospital on Monday, was fully vaccinated against Covid-19.
She is also adamant she wore masks while travelling on public transport, but Chief Health Officer Dr Jeannette Young admitted she was concerned the virus may still spread into the community.
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