Queensland corruption fighters turn coronavirus detectives
by Lydia LynchPublic servants trained to hunt down corrupt police and officials are now using their detective skills to trace the spread of coronavirus in Queensland.
More than 500 law enforcement officials working for the Crime and Corruption Commission and the Justice Department have been trained up to help public health officials trace potential outbreaks.
Before the virus invaded Queensland, the state had 200 people trained in contact tracing.
That number has swelled to 1213 including the 524 public servants helping out during the pandemic.
Attorney-General Yvette D’Ath launched the special team of virus trackers in April.
“Queensland has really ramped up its contact-tracing capability and we’re very well placed to deal with any future cases or outbreaks," she said.
“We now have 524 fully trained contact tracers drawn from across government, who can be called into action at any time.
“The contact tracing of those who have come into contact with a known case is an essential part of the fight against coronavirus.
“Our commitment to protecting the health and wellbeing of Queenslanders is enhanced by this ready reserve of contact tracers who are trained to get the job done.”
As of Friday, Queensland had confirmed 1045 cases of COVID-19. It might have taken dozens of calls per case to uncover who else might have been exposed to the virus.
Deputy Premier and Health Minister Steven Miles said contact tracing was one of the state's best defences against major outbreaks and only worked if people were honest.
His comments came after it was revealed the nurse at the centre of the Rockhampton nursing home scare failed to tell contact tracers she had travelled overseas.
“I’m not going to comment on the individual case, but I will repeat what I said earlier,” he said.
“It’s incredibly disappointing that someone would even lie to public health officials.
“When a public health officer contacts you, it is important you are honest, truthful and fulsome with what you tell them."
The law enforcement officials turned contact tracers have also been helping to keep tabs on the 62,532 people who have been ordered to quarantine across the state during the crisis.
Thousands of text messages and calls have been made to isolating Queenslanders to check they remain locked down for 14 days.
About 2000 people are still under isolation orders, most of them in Brisbane, the Gold Coast and Sunshine Coast.