Qantas flight attendant who worked on a packed flight tests positive to coronavirus 

Qantas flight attendant who worked on SIX packed flights tests positive to Covid-19 amid fears dozens of passengers have been exposed to the virus

  • Qantas flight attendant who worked on packed flights tested positive for Covid
  • Woman was aboard two flights between Brisbane and Longreach on July 11
  • She tested positive on Thursday but QLD Health hadn’t reported the case
  • Testing clinics set up at Longreach Hospital with urgent operation underway 

A Qantas flight attendant who worked on a packed flight between Brisbane and regional Queensland has tested positive for coronavirus.  

Deputy Premier Steve Miles confirmed the new case of community transmission at the Friday morning Covid update.

The woman in her 30s from Banyo crewed six flights on Qantas’ regional routes. 

She tested positive on July 21 after developing symptoms on July 13.

Queensland’s chief Health officer Jeannette Young since it was believed the woman was infectious since July 11. 

Queensland  Minister for Regional Development and Manufacturing Glenn Butcher was on one of the flights to Gladstone. He had been tested and was currently self-isolating awaiting a result.

Ms Young said all those on the six flights would need to be tested and isolate until they received their result. 

The six flights were QF 2534 Brisbane-Longreach and QF 2535 Longreach-Brisbane on July 11, then QF 2346 Brisbane-Gladstone on the same day, QF 2331 Gladstone-Brisbane, QF 2374 Brisbane-Hervey Bay 2374 and QF 2375 Hervey Bay-Brisbane, all on July 12.

The woman stayed overnight at the Mercure Hotel in Gladstone on July 11.     

‘We are working with her to look at where she was and what she did from 13 July when she became unwell,’ said Ms Young.

‘Initially, she’s told us that she essentially stayed at home, so we are just working that through to check that is the case and whether there are any exposure venues.’ 

A Qantas flight attendant who worked on a packed flight between Brisbane and regional Queensland has tested positive for coronavirus 

The flight staff member was aboard Qantas flight QF2534 and QF2535 on Sunday July 11 between the Queensland capital and Longreach in the state's central-west

The flight staff member was aboard Qantas flight QF2534 and QF2535 on Sunday July 11 between the Queensland capital and Longreach in the state’s central-west

Longreach already has a testing clinic but a new one is being set up at the Longreach Showgrounds on Friday morning, the ABC reported.

Meanwhile, long queues of traffic have formed at Queensland’s border with NSW after it was shut at 1am on Friday. 

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk announced the decision on Thursday morning on Twitter, as she is currently in Tokyo sealing Brisbane hosting the 2032 Olympic Games. 

Queensland has declared bubble for NSW communities as far south as Grafton and as far west as the SA border to allow residents to cross for essential purposes with quarantining. 

Queensland recorded zero new cases on Thursday, Deputy Premier Steven Miles said in a press conference.

He also confirmed the state has given two million vaccines so far in its jab rollout. 

‘In order to ease the restrictions as outlined we will close the border to the rest of New South Wales,’ Miles said.

‘That will mirror the arrangements currently in place with Victoria, South Australia, Western Australia and Tasmania. 

Longreach already has a testing clinic but a new one is being set up at the Longreach Showgrounds on Friday morning

Longreach already has a testing clinic but a new one is being set up at the Longreach Showgrounds on Friday morning

The flight attendant was aboard a flight from Brisbane to Longreach, a regional town in the state's central-west

The flight attendant was aboard a flight from Brisbane to Longreach, a regional town in the state’s central-west 

Chief Superintendent Rhys Wildman said people should expect at least a one-hour delay on Friday morning.

‘The first two or three days is a challenge, it should ease up after that,’ he said.

‘Peak times are also a bit challenging on the roads as well. If you have to travel during those times add a little bit of extra time.’

The state government had been warning Queensland residents for weeks against all travel to NSW.

While no one has tested positive in NSW in areas close to Queensland border, a service station at Chinderah, about 15km from the frontier, was declared as an exposure site earlier this week.

NSW Health also reported concerns on Thursday night about positive COVID-19 results in sewage testing in Byron Bay, about an hour from the Queensland border.

Queensland’s borders are closed to NSW, Victoria and South Australia.  



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