The first recorded instance of a person infected with the novel coronavirus attending a nightlife venue has occurred in Brisbane, at Fridays Riverside.
Queensland Health alerted the public on 10 March that among three new recorded cases of COVID-19 in the state, was a 22-year-old male from Brisbane who recently traveled to Spain, Italy and France. The man is currently in a stable condition in isolation at The Prince Charles Hospital.
Before being diagnosed, the UQ student had attended Fridays Riverside on Friday for four hours. While hundreds of people attended the venue during that time, as his contact with most people would have been fleeting, Queensland Health does not require other patrons to self-isolate, unless they begin to present symptoms such as cough, fever and/or a sore throat.
“As a precaution, we are asking anyone who attended Friday’s Riverside in Brisbane City from 6pm Friday afternoon and 11pm Monday evening, who becomes unwell to contact 13 HEALTH and advise that you were at the venue during these times.”
Fridays Riverside is owned by Australian Venue Co (AVC), which immediately swung in to action once notified by Queensland Health.
“On Tuesday afternoon we were made aware by the Health Department that a customer of Friday’s has tested positive to the COVID-19 virus,” stated a spokesperson for AVC.
“With the health and safety of our customers and team members in mind, we closed Friday’s temporarily and conducted a deep clean and decontamination of the venue as a precaution.
“We will continue to assess the situation in partnership with the local Health Department, but currently no further action is advised for patrons who may have been at the venue during these times and Friday’s continues to trade as normal.”
The company continues to monitor the situation and is focused on the wellbeing of its staff.