THE first case of coronavirus in inland North Queensland has been recorded with a man returning a positive test in Charters Towers.
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The man had recently returned from overseas and had heeded the advice to self-isolate.
Since testing positive, the man has been placed in supervised quarantine and will remain in quarantine until given the all clear.
As such, Charters Towers Local Disaster Management Group chair Liz Schmidt said the case posed little threat to the community.
"I understand there is a fear in the community, however, I want to encourage the community not to panic," Cr Schmidt said.
The Charters Towers Local Disaster Management Group has moved to "stand up" status and is monitoring the situation carefully.
It is working closely with Queensland Health and the District and State Disaster Coordination Centre.
"To help stop the spread of the virus, I encourage everyone to heed the advice of the Australian and Queensland Governments to ensure proper personal hygiene and to stay at home and only venture out for essential reasons," Cr Schmidt said.
She urged people not to speculate as to who the patient was and encouraged residents to seek reputable information.
As of today, Queensland has 70 new confirmed cases of novel coronavirus raising the state total to 625.
There are now 15 confirmed cases in the Townsville health district, which includes the Charters Towers case.
There have been no cases recorded in the north west health district.
Cairns and the Hinterland has 19 cases, making it the highest number of detections outside of the south-east.
To date, all Queensland cases are either people who have recently returned from overseas or have had close contact with those people.
Queenslanders are being urged to seek medical attention if they start to feel unwell and develop symptoms, especially a fever or shortness of breath, a cough or a respiratory illness.
They should call their GP or emergency department and tell them about the symptoms and recent travel or close contact, so they can prepare for your visit.
Cr Schmidt said Charters Towers residents could find the latest information on the council's emergency dashboard www.getready.ctrc.qld.gov.au
Further information can be found on Queensland Health's website www.health.qld.gov.au.
