Queensland border: Why coronavirus teens travelled Melbourne

Authored by 7news.com.au and submitted by Donkkers
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Queensland is on edge after three new COVID cases emerged - two of them teenage women who allegedly lied on their border declaration, bringing coronavirus into the state’s south-east.

Parklands Christian College is just one of the venues that was impacted, potentially exposing around 800 students and staff.

More details in the video above

Their actions have been labelled as reckless, as a major testing and tracing operation gets underway to stop the spread in Queensland.

7NEWS now understands the two 19-year-olds travelled to Melbourne, allegedly intending to commit thefts on high-end fashion stores.

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The two women also attended an illegal party on July 19 and were handed $1600 fines for blatantly ignoring restrictions.

On July 21 they flew on VA863 from Melbourne to Sydney.

By not leaving the terminal, they avoided border checks.

They arrived in Brisbane on VA977, where they allegedly provided fake names and false border declarations.

For the next eight days they visited restaurants, shopping centres and a church in the Springfield and Logan areas, exposing a huge number of people.

Now, hundreds of anxious members of the Parklands Christian College community are angry and fearing that they have potentially been infected.

“I think it’s disgraceful, how did they get up from Victoria?” one person asked.

“I’m very very disappointed. I think it was reckless,” another told 7NEWS.

Chevron Right Icon ‘I’m very very disappointed. I think it was reckless.’

Queensland Police state disaster coordinator Steve Gollschewski said an investigation into the womens’ movements was ongoing.

“This is a criminal investigation we’re conducting,” he said.

Tests were conducted at Parklands Christian College on Monday and positive results came back on Tuesday night.

“If they did it intentionally, justice has its way of finding itself,” one member of the school community told 7NEWS.

Now, multiple locations south of Brisbane are under a COVID cloud.

“This is a clear representation of how the actions of a few can impact many,” said Queensland Health’s Chief Health Officer Dr Jeannette Young.

“Because of the decisions of these two women, that brought the virus back to Queensland, thousands more will have to be tested and self-isolate.”

Chevron Right Icon ‘If they did it intentionally, justice has its way of finding itself.’

But the fallout is bigger still.

The risk of more false declarations and another 19 cases in New South Wales prompting drastic action from Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk.

“Queensland will now be declaring greater Sydney a COVID-19 hotspot,” she said on Wednesday.

From 1am Saturday, all of greater Sydney joins the hotspot list, encompassing 900 suburbs stretching from the Central Coast and the Blue Mountains down to Picton.

Residents will be banned from entering the state, returning Queenslanders forced into hotel quarantine.

“it is going to cause an inconvenience to families, and i know there may be a lot of events planned, but it is too important,” Palaszczuk said.

Mildistoospicy on July 29th, 2020 at 13:26 UTC »

Travelled to Melbourne to allegedly commit theft on high-end fashion stores. Were handed $1600 fines for attending an illegal party, provided false names and declarations upon returning to Brisbane, continued to travel within Brisbane for the next 8 days (one of them infectious).

The women attended:

Parklands Christian College at Park Ridge on July 22-23rd between 9.30am and 6pm Madtongsan IV Restaurant in Sunnybank on July 23 between 7pm-9pm Heeretea Bubble Tea Shop at Sunnybank on July 23 at 9.25pm YMCA Chatswood Hills Outside Hours School Care at Springwood on July 23-24 Primary Medical and Dental Practice at Browns Plains on July 24 between 3.3pm-3.50pm Peak Thai Restaurant at Springfield on July 26 between 6.30pm-9pm Cowch Dessert Cocktail Bar at Southbank on July 27 P’Nut Street Noodles at Southbank on July 27 African Grocery Shop at Woodridge (Station Road) on July 28 Primary Medical and Dental Practice at Browns Plains on July 28 between 12.25pm-12.30pm Chatime Grand Plaza at Browns Plains July 28

welp. see you all in 2021.

coralus on July 29th, 2020 at 13:19 UTC »

What a bunch of cunts.

aberta_picker on July 29th, 2020 at 13:00 UTC »

Primary reason these young women did so was the rob high fashion shops.

$1600 fines seems light given the intent.