Aaron Bunch Journalist with Australian Associated Press | Collection of published work | + 61 484 008 119 | abunch@aap.com.au
Teens who got train from Sydney arrested
Police have taken two teenage girls into custody on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast after they allegedly lied about being in coronavirus hotspot Sydney.
August 10, 2020
Two teens who travelled from coronavirus hotspot Sydney have been arrested in Queensland after allegedly lying on their border declarations.
The girls, aged 15 and 16, arrived on a train from Sydney to Brisbane on Friday before the borders closed. The pair then travelled to the Sunshine Coast.
Officers tracked them down at a Noosa shopping centre and took them into custody on Monday so that health officials can test them for COVID-19.
“They weren’t completely honest with where they had been,” Superintendent Craig Hawkins told reporters.
Superintendent Hawkins noted there had been a lot of social media “hysteria” about the girls, with fears they could be spreading the virus.
“Certainly there is no need to panic in regards to an outbreak of COVID-19 on the Sunshine Coast,” he said.
“I stress, there is no information to suggest they are carriers of the disease.
“However, in the interests of safety and because they have come from a hotspot, we were keen to ensure they had undertaken the right testing.”
The girls, from Queensland and NSW, are likely to be placed in quarantine once testing is complete. No charges have been laid against the teens.