Mareeba woman tests positive to COVID-19

A Mareeba woman has tested positive for COVID-19 overnight.

The woman in her 20s studies in Melbourne and attended an exposure site there prior to Victoria’s lockdown, before she travelled home for the University break.

Chief Health Officer Jeannette Young said the woman travelled from Melbourne to Maroochydore on July 13 before being notified by health authorities on July 15 that she had visited a known contact site on July 10.

“She immediately went and got herself tested and she tested negative,” Dr Young said.

The woman was in the community in Maroochydore until July 15 visiting a number of venues that are now on alert.

On Friday, July 16 the women then flew from Brisbane Airport to Cairns on Virgin Flight VA791 at 4.50pm.

She was picked up by a relative and taken to Mareeba where she has been isolating since.

The woman then developed symptoms and went to the Atherton fever clinic on Sunday, July 18 at 10:30am.

She returned a positive Covid test late last night, Monday, July 19.

“We have deemed her infectious period back to 15 July,” Dr Young said,

Dr Young said the woman was fully vaccinated.

"That does reduce the risk, but it doesn't remove the risk," she said.

"She was wearing and mask and, of course, we require anyone in the Sunshine Coast, who has been part of the 11 LGAs [Local Government Areas] in south-east Queensland wearing masks at the moment and she wore a mask on the plane, so we will, of course, be contact tracing everyone on that flight," she said.

Dr Young said everyone on the Virgin flight the woman took to Cairns would be contacted.

There are also now several exposure sites on the Sunshine Coast and anyone who visited them at the same time as the positive case must isolate and get tested.

She visited the Sunshine Coast Plaza, specifically the Universal store within the centre, from 3:55pm to 4:15pm on Thursday July 15.

She then went to the Rice Boi at The Wharf at Mooloolaba between 6:45pm and 8:00pm.

On July 16, the woman travelled via Uber at 12:50pm to Maroochydore station and caught the 651 bus to Landsborough train station.

She then travelled via train from Landsborough to Eagle Junction and caught the Airtrain to Brisbane Airport arriving at 3:45pm.

Acting Premier Steven Miles urged Queenslanders in southern states to return home.

"Now is not the time to be holidaying interstate," Mr Miles said.

“It is absolutely critical that anyone who has travelled to Victoria, New South Wales or now South Australia monitor those websites for which contact locations are of concern and follow those directions very, very closely.”

Check exposure sites here.