As hundreds of Logan families spend two weeks in isolation, disturbing statistics show Logan vaccination numbers have fallen well below the rest of the state.
A truck driver last week returned positive after an interstate trip, and a girl, a close contact aged just 4, was diagnosed with the Delta strain of Covid 19.
The Boulevard Early Learning Centre at Mount Warren Park was closed and families asked to isolate.
Windaroo State School families are also in isolation, branded Queensland’s latest lockdown heroes. Some children from the school attended after-school care at the early learning centre.
All close contacts have tested negative and chief health officer Jeannette Young said Monday the risk was decreasing.
Most families would still have to remain in quarantine for 14 days, although some families from Windaroo State School may be released early.
Beenleigh Marketplace was named an exposure site late last week, with anyone who visited the centre Monday morning, August 30, asked to test for Covid.
The Covid-positive truck driver stopped for a pedicure at Stylish Nails at around 10.30am Monday morning. He also visited Total Tools on Sunday morning, between 9.20am and 10am.
Most of the eight people at Stylish Nails during the time had not used the check in app, prompting a reminder yesterday from Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk for people to do the right thing when visiting venues.
Also worrying are latest vaccination numbers for Logan, currently at about 33% for the first jab.
That’s 20% lower than the Queensland average.
Authorities have opened Logan Entertainment Centre for walk-in vaccinations in a bid to raise those numbers, particularly with the region having been perilously close to yet another lockdown.
Employers are starting to implement “no jab, no work” policies – Elements Retirement Village believed to be one of the first to make it official.
Queensland Police are also mandating vaccinations for all employees.
At Elements, contractors unable to provide proof of at least one jab will not be allowed onsite.
“We have written to all of our contractors to let them know that as of September 1, anyone working at Elements must have had at least one vaccine,” managing director Chiou See Anderson said.
“We have anywhere from 30 to 50 contractors visit our site every month. Many of our residents are in their seventies with some in their nineties, so it’s essential we put this measure in place to ensure their continued safety.”
From September 17, vaccinations will be mandatory for residential aged care workers, but those rules do not apply to those working in retirement villages.
“While the mandate may not extend to residents like ours, it doesn’t make them any less vulnerable,” Ms Anderson said.
“Fortunately, all of our wonderful staff volunteered to become fully vaccinated at the earliest possible opportunity and now we are asking contractors who visit our site to do the same.”
Marc Melville of Luzac Plumbing said he was happy to have the vaccine and encourage his staff to do the same so that only vaccinated plumbers would be making callouts to Elements.
“I agree that when you are providing service to older Australians you need to do what you can to protect your clients, so I think it’s great that Elements are taking this extra precaution,” he said.
Police Commissioner Katarina Carroll said: “The dynamic nature of policing means frontline officers interact with large volumes of people and move around to all corners of the state.”
Small business commissioner Maree Adshead said more legal clarity would be needed around “no jab, no work” policies in workplaces.
