More testing will help to trace sources
A WELCOME shipment of hand sanitiser, gloves and gowns will be issued to outreach services as the city is flagged for expanded coronavirus testing.
Queensland Chief Health Officer Jeannette Young said Cairns was one of three areas with untraced cases in the state prompting the move.
It means anyone arriving at a GP or fever clinic with respiratory symptoms, will also be tested for COVID-19.
Cairns Regional Council will distribute a new supply of personal protective equipment to providers such as Anglicare and the Salvation Army.
HUNDREDS of hand sanitisers, pairs of gloves and gowns will be made available to Cairns services that need them most in the fight against COVID-19.
Cairns Regional Council has secured sanitisers, gloves and gowns for distribution to local outreach services.
Cairns Mayor Bob Manning said the new supply would be distributed to providers such as Junction House, Anglicare, Salvation Army and Red Cross.
“We have recently taken delivery of a large package of equipment (PPE) from some of council’s suppliers – 1000 hand sanitisers, 500 pairs of gloves and 300 gowns, and there are masks and thermometers to come,” he said.
The news comes as expanded coronavirus testing is expected to get under way in Cairns, with health authorities looking to track down 32 cases with no confirmed source. There were 14 new cases added to the Queensland tally yesterday, though none were from Cairns which is sitting at 30.
Queensland Chief Health Officer Jeannette Young said Cairns was one of three areas with untraced cases, alongside Brisbane and the Gold Coast.
“We just haven’t been able to track down where they got it,” she said of the 32 cases.
“It wasn’t from someone who had been overseas, it wasn’t from a confirmed case.
“It doesn’t make any difference to anyone who is out there, it just means when people present to their GP or present to a fever clinic, that they’ll also be tested for COVID-19 if they have any respiratory symptoms.”
Cr Manning said the Cairns Local Coronavirus Hotline (1300 396 102) had received more than 550 calls and urged residents to visit the council’s coronavirus web page.
Member for Leichhardt Warren Entsch welcomed changes to the Federal Government’s JobSeeker package, which now allows registered charities to access the payment subsidy if they had been hit with a 15 per cent decline in turnover.
“Given how important these not-for-profits are going to be in working through this, it is important that we could include them in this package,” he said.
“Another positive is in relation to our seasonal workers and news that they can have their visas extended for another 12 months, and there also is extra flexibility for temporary visa holders.”