Local leaders are concerned overcrowding in residential homes will contribute to the spread of COVID-19 in the Aboriginal community of Cherbourg in Queensland, where nearly 10 per cent of the population has tested positive to the virus.
Key points:
- The number of active COVID-19 cases in Cherbourg has risen to above 100, according to local leaders
- Just one week ago, the Aboriginal community had not ever had a case of the virus
- Authorities and residents fear overcrowding in homes will worsen the situation as residents attempt to isolate
The community, 250 kilometres north-west of Brisbane, recorded its first case of the virus last Thursday, nearly two years into the pandemic.
Wakka Wakka man and Cherbourg resident Eric Law said the town was "eerily quiet" and overcrowding in homes where people were attempting to isolate had become a major issue.
"We're not just talking about a general nuclear family, we've got extended families," Mr Law said.
"The numbers would go from about six to eight to maybe 10 or 11 [people in a house].
"The problem is, how do we self-isolate in that sort of environment?"
The town has not been placed into lockdown, but police in the community are advising residents to stay home.
Cherbourg Aboriginal Shire Council chief executive Chatur Zala said the community had so far avoided any fatalities from the virus, but there were two people receiving treatment in the Toowoomba Hospital.
"We were expecting at some stage [an oubreak] to happen," Mr Zala said.
"If [people] can manage their COVID well and manage from their homes, that is the preferred way to move forward."
Call for free rapid tests
The council is providing a three-bedroom house for people to isolate in if needed, but said it had not yet had any requests from residents wanting to use it.
The chief executive said it would also pay for residents to stay in motels in the region if they were not comfortable at home.
Boxes of groceries, funded by the council, are being delivered to the houses of people isolating.
Mr Law said most residents felt supported by the council but less so by state and federal governments.
"There are enough agencies here in Cherbourg, we just need to have them better coordinated," he said.
He said having access to free or subsidised rapid antigen tests (RATs) would make a huge difference to residents' peace of mind and allow them to avoid testing queues where they could potentially be exposed to the virus.
"I know the Prime Minister doesn't want to give them to us for free, but people could test themselves when the time is appropriate," he said.
"We'd do away with that big crowd [at the testing centre]."
Darling Downs Health said it was using RATs to test people "quickly and efficiently" in comparison to PCR testing which can leave people waiting days for results.
"Our efforts have been focused on testing people who have been in close contact to a confirmed case and those with symptoms," a spokesperson said.
Mental health fears
As Cherbourg continues to battle an ongoing mental health crisis, Mr Law was worried about the cumulative effects of isolation on residents' mental wellbeing.
"Now we've exposed them to another traumatic event," he said.
"This time of the year should be a time where children are happy, families are happy, they're out walking around, talking to their neighbours.
"Life has changed a lot. People are scared."
Cherbourg's double-dose vaccination rate was below 60 per cent in the latest federal government figures released in December, which is a concern to authorities.
"I would encourage everyone to get vaccinated. We all know from the medical advice that [the] vaccine is working well against this Omicron variant," Mr Zala said.
Vaccine clinics in Cherbourg are open seven days a week.
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