Brisbane hospital in lockdown after staff member tests positive for coronavirus

Brisbane’s Princess Alexandra hospital has been placed into lockdown after a staff member contracted Covid-19 from a patient.

The staff member had contact with the patient in the early hours of Wednesday and was infectious in the community on Thursday, Queensland Health said in a statement on Friday night. The staff member is a doctor, the ABC reported.

Contact tracing is underway and it is likely public exposure sites will be identified and communicated on Saturday, Queensland Health said.

“All patients, staff and families this person interacted with are being identified and appropriate actions are being taken.”

The lockdown means all non-essential visits to patients will not be allowed and anyone needing to attend the hospital will be required to wear a mask.

The emergency department will remain open but people are urged to receive care at other hospitals or at a GP if possible.

Staff will have to wear masks at all times as will patients unless it is not clinically appropriate. Non-urgent outpatient bookings and elective surgery will be postponed.

“The hospital is actively working to ensure the safety of staff and patients on campus while contact tracing is undertaken,” the Queensland premier, Annastacia Palaszczuk, tweeted on Friday night. “Anyone with any Covid-19 symptoms should get tested immediately and isolate until you receive a negative result.”