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Nearly 1,000 Logan families have been released from home quarantine overnight after health officials deemed there was a low risk they had been exposed to COVID-19 when a Queensland truck driver travelled back from NSW and tested positive last week.
Key points:
- The 960 families were awaiting the negative results from two remaining children, whose parents initially did not want them tested
- The Chief Health Officer said those children had now returned negative results
- Queensland Health is reviewing protocols for truckies after recent outbreaks involving drivers being infectious in the community
It came as authorities confirmed a review was underway into protocols related to drivers returning from interstate hotspots.
The 960 Windaroo State School families were ordered to isolate because a four-year-old girl with COVID-19 had attended the Boulevard Early Learning Centre at Mount Warren Park.
The early learning centre is also used as after-school care for Windaroo State School.
Chief Health Officer Jeannette Young said she was satisfied the risk of COVID-19 spreading through the school community was sufficiently low and that most of the families could leave quarantine immediately.
All 36 children who attend after-school care at the centre have now tested negative for COVID-19, but Dr Young said those families needed to stay in quarantine because the early learning centre remained a close contact location.
One family initially did not allow their two children to be tested, meaning the 960 families had to remain in isolation.
"I'm also pleased to confirm the family of the last two children have agreed to let them be tested, and the results also came back negative," Dr Young said.
Queensland reviews truck-driver protocols
ABC Southern Queensland: Jon Daly
)Queensland Health is reviewing the protocols around truck drivers from COVID-19 hotspots entering the state after a truckie caused an outbreak of the virus.
Two other COVID-19 scares have occurred in Queensland in the past week involving truck drivers being infectious in the community.
A Queensland Health spokesperson said last night that the review was being undertaken to identify reasonable steps to deal with the issue.
"The review, including consultation with industry representatives, is currently underway," the spokesperson said.
"Given this is a national issue, we'd look forward to discussion at the national level as well."
Yesterday, Chief Health Officer Jeannette Young warned that freight drivers were travelling from virus hotspots interstate and then into Queensland.
Truck drivers from hotspots are allowed to enter Queensland, but must follow set protocols when they are in the state and must be able to produce evidence that they have had a negative COVID-19 test within seven days prior to entering Queensland.
ABC News
)They must also have maintained a "rolling seven-day" testing cycle while they continue to travel in and out of the state.
Queensland and border zone resident truck drivers must have had at least one vaccine if they want to cross into Queensland.
However, current protocols allow non-Queensland and non-border zone resident truck drivers to cross into Queensland without the need to have received even one vaccination.
They have been allowed to leave their trucks to access rest stops and refuelling facilities, and to load and deliver freight.
Drivers can also stay overnight at accommodation to fulfil fatigue management requirements, but must leave as soon as they have completed their essential activity and have minimal or no close contact with the Queensland community.
The three drivers revealed last week as having COVID-19 include a man from Logan, south of Brisbane, who travelled from Sydney to Queensland then back to New South Wales.
He is a close contact of a four-year-old girl who tested positive to COVID-19 on Friday, sparking the school and daycare lockdown.
The girl's mother also tested positive over the weekend. The family is now in home quarantine.
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