Fury over Covid-infected Sydney man who broke lockdown and fled to Queensland - passing Delta variant on to Qantas flight attendant and then roaming state for SEVEN DAYS after lying to authorities
- The man reportedly ignored stay-at-home orders and was a close contact
- He was told to stay home for 14 days even if he tested negative to the virus
- But he ignored the directives and travelled to northern NSW and Queensland
- He infected a flight attendant and they were both active in the community
A Covid-positive man has sparked fury after he illegally fled Sydney's lockdown, travelled to Queensland, infected a Qantas flight attendant and roamed the state for seven days before he was caught.
The Sydneysider reportedly ignored stay-at-home orders after he was told that he was a close contact of a positive case on July 10 and should not leave home for 14 days.
He was incorrectly informed that he tested negative to Covid-19 two days later, but close contacts of positive cases in New South Wales are directed to isolate for two weeks regardless of their test results.
Instead of following health orders, he flew to Ballina in northern New South Wales on July 14 where he was picked up by a female flight attendant, before he drove to the Sunshine State.
The infected Sydney man broke lockdown and travelled to Queensland, where he infected a flight attendant. Pictured: People jogging in Burleigh Heads on the Gold Coast
Pictured: People wearing face masks in Manly, Sydney, on Sunday - as the state recorded 141 new cases
The flight attendant was allowed to cross into NSW, but the Covid-positive man was not allowed to leave his Sydney home. Pictured: Queensland Police stop cars at the border with NSW
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NSW Deputy Chief Health Officer Jeremy McAnulty said NSW Health was advised on July 20 that the man's test was actually positive, and health authorities interviewed him later that day.
'He stated that he had been isolating since the 10th of July, however, we know this is not true,' said Dr McAnulty.
'We believe he travelled to Queensland on July 14 and we are concerned about the nature and extent of his exposures on the flight and in the community both in New South Wales and in Queensland.'
Queensland Chief Health Officer Dr Jeannette Young said the man and the flight attendant, who is in her 30s, were infectious in Brisbane and the Gold Coast for about seven days.
She said the woman was allowed to cross the border to Ballina at the time, but the man was not meant to have left his Sydney home.
People in NSW can be jailed for up to six months or fined $11,000 for breaching the Public Health Act.
Pictured: People at Burleigh Heads on the Gold Coast on Sunday. There are now 37 new exposure sites in Queensland
Pictured: Police officers wearing face masks patrol at Manly Beach in Sydney on Sunday, July 24. Sydneysiders are in lockdown amid a growing Covid outbreak
Queensland health authorities are now scrambling to work out his movements, and have added 37 exposure sites to the list.
The list includes three barber shops, David Jones and a cafe inside Westfield Chermside between July 15 and 23.
There are 18 new alerts for Goodstart Early Learning Parkwood on the Gold Coast between July 13 and 23.
Harbour Town Shopping Centre after an infected person went to Yum Cha Cuisine on July 17, along with Black Swan Coffee at Mermaid's Q Super Centre.
Infected Brisbane suburbs include Banyo, Nundah and Chermside.
The flight attendant visited Dreamworld while infectious and also crewed six flights around the state.
Pictured: Westfield Shopping Centre on Gympie Road in Chermsidem which has now been listed as a Covid exposure site
Pictured: Pacific Fair Shopping Mall, which has now been listed as a Covid-19 exposure site
She also went to Gladstone, Longreach and Hervey Bay, which the woman flew to and from, the Gold Coast, and her home city of Brisbane.
Dr Young said on Friday that the attendant did not seek a test until Wednesday last week - nine days after she began showing symptoms on July 13.
It's presumed she was infectious two days before that, putting at risk every passenger and colleague on six flights she crewed on July 11 and 12.
Queenslanders have been urged to check the exposure sites list and, if they were at those venues, strictly follow the advice on testing and any quarantining requirements.
The woman returned a positive result on Thursday, one day after she finally presented for testing. She's since been taken from her Banyo home and is now in a Covid hospital.
Dr Young could not explain why the woman waited so long after the onset of symptoms to get tested and said all Queenslanders must closely monitor the list of exposure sites in coming days.
Tracing teams are going through passenger lists for the six at-risk flights to ensure everyone is isolating and getting tested.
Pictured: People walking in Burleigh Heads on the Gold Coast on Sunday
Pictured: A Covid warning in Bondi on Sunday. Sydneysiders are currently in lockdown
Genomic sequencing has shown the flight attendant has a form of the virus identical to 60 cases from the NSW cluster, and her job did involve travel to NSW.
Dr Young says test results due in the next day or so will reveal if Queensland is in trouble. She has expressed a level of confusion about the lack of other cases so far, given how much time has passed.
'We know that with the Delta variant it usually spreads within two days. In Victoria they're seeing spread from one person to the next in 30 hours,' she said.
'I would have expected there'd be spread and then spread and then spread, and I've not seen that.'
She said there would be a 'fast' lockdown if there was a need for one.
The flight attendant flew on six regional services on a 74-seat Dash-8 Q400 aircraft.
QantasLink said there'd been no other reports of cases associated with the flights so far.
The flights were all listed as exposure sites, along with the Brisbane, Gladstone, Longreach and Hervey Bay domestic airports. The Gladstone Mercure Hotel is also an exposure site as the woman stayed there on July 11.
