{"id":273939,"date":"2020-08-27T18:41:30","date_gmt":"2020-08-27T08:41:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/southburnett.com.au\/news2\/?p=273939"},"modified":"2020-08-27T18:41:30","modified_gmt":"2020-08-27T08:41:30","slug":"jails-in-covid-19-lockdown","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/southburnett.com.au\/news2\/2020\/08\/27\/jails-in-covid-19-lockdown\/","title":{"rendered":"Jails In COVID-19 Lockdown"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"<\/a>
Prisoners will remain locked in their cells until Queensland Health advises otherwise<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

August 27, 2020<\/strong><\/p>\n

About 7000 Queensland prisoners have been locked in their cells after a Department of Corrections training officer tested positive to COVID-19 on Wednesday evening.<\/p>\n

The Stage 4 lockdown means prisoners will stay in their cells and all social, personal and professional visits – including by legal representatives – will be banned until further notice.<\/p>\n

Corrections staff will also have to wear PPE.<\/p>\n

The lockdown affects all jails stretching from the Capricornia Correctional Centre at Rockhampton to centres in south-east Queensland, including Maryborough Correctional Centre.<\/p>\n

The training officer lives at Forest Lake – one of the hotspot suburbs identified from the Brisbane Youth Detention Centre cluster – and works at Wacol in the QCS Academy.<\/p>\n

He has not visited the Youth Detention Centre and it is not known where he was infected.<\/p>\n

Fourteen recruits and 11 of his colleagues have all been tested and are now in self-isolation.<\/p>\n

Queensland Corrective\u00a0Services Commissioner Peter Martin told media on Thursday morning the lockdown was an extreme step but the Department was being overly cautious in line with Queensland Health advice.<\/strong><\/p>\n

“It is the least preferable way that we would do our business but we are incredibly alert to the fact that we are dealing with very, very difficult issues here … our first priority is for the safety and security of all those people in our custody and care, including our staffing group,” he said.<\/p>\n

Commissioner Martin said Stage 4 would remain in place until Chief Health Officer Dr Jeannette Young advised it was no longer required.<\/p>\n

Officers and prisoners who present with flu-like symptoms – or who have come in close contact with suspected cases – will be tested.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Queensland\u2019s Chief Health Officer Dr Jeannette Young<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Dr Young said the results of genomic testing had come back and they showed the virus strain from the Wacol cluster was only one nucleotide different from the strain involved in the Logan cluster.<\/strong><\/p>\n

However, this was not proof the two were linked as this strain was also the most common circulating in NSW and Victoria.<\/p>\n

“We can’t say definitively that those two cases are linked, but we can’t say they are not,” she said.<\/p>\n

Contract tracing was still being undertaken to see if there was any link between the two clusters.<\/p>\n

There are currently 17 active COVID-19 cases in Queensland, including two reported since Wednesday.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The second person who tested positive is a Cairns resident who had returned from Papua New Guinea and is in quarantine.<\/p>\n

Health Minister Dr Steven Miles said a total of 19,780 tests had been carried out during the past 24 hours, taking the total in the past two days to more than 40,000.<\/p>\n

All the youth detainees at the Detention Centre have tested negative but Queensland Health is still awaiting a few results from staff.<\/p>\n

* * *<\/strong><\/h2>\n

A call went out on Thursday for more volunteers to take part in the next stage of clinical trials for the University of Queensland\u2019s coronavirus vaccine.<\/strong><\/p>\n

On July 13, 120 volunteers aged between 18 and 55 were sought to take part in clinical trials.<\/p>\n

Following positive results from this first stage of testing, UQ now has approval to extend Phase 1 one clinical trials.<\/p>\n

The uni is now seeking 96 Queenslanders aged 56 and over: 48 volunteers between 56-65 years and 48 aged 66 years and over.<\/p>\n

The vaccine development program is being supported by a $10 million investment from the State Government.<\/p>\n

The Phase 1 trial is being conducted at Nucleus Network\u2019s Brisbane clinic.<\/p>\n

Participants are required to be in good health with any existing medical conditions stable for the past few months.<\/p>\n

Project director Prof Trent Munro said early safety results had been positive, indicating the vaccine was generally well tolerated in healthy volunteers aged between 18 and 55.<\/p>\n

Anyone who would like to participate can <\/strong>register with Nucleus Network <\/strong>online<\/strong><\/a>,<\/a> or by calling <\/strong>1800-243-733<\/strong>.<\/strong><\/p>\n

* * *<\/strong><\/h2>\n

The South Burnett Local Disaster Management Group (LDMG) has reminded residents there have been changes to COVID-19 restrictions across Queensland.<\/strong><\/p>\n

These changes relate to gatherings in homes, public spaces and premises not operating under an Industry COVID Safe Plan.<\/p>\n

All businesses and planned events may continue to operate under previous protocols providing they have an approved COVID Safe Plan or Industry Safe Plan in place.<\/p>\n

For further details, visit the Queensland Health website<\/a>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Information for businesses about COVID Safe Plans is also available online<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

The LDMG has encouraged all South Burnett businesses to ensure their COVID Safe Plan is up to date and fully implemented at all times.<\/p>\n

Government agencies will be performing spot checks for compliance on an ongoing basis and all businesses should be able to produce attendance records within one hour of request for information.<\/p>\n

There are currently no active cases of COVID-19 in the South Burnett<\/p>\n

Keep informed about the latest COVID-19 health advice at:<\/strong><\/p>\n