Queensland has recorded one new Covid-19 case as more restrictions are brought in and fears of a lockdown linger.
The new case announced on Wednesday is in a fully vaccinated man aged in his 50s and is linked to an aviation worker who had already tested positive.
A second case was also recorded but this was in NSW and won’t be counted in Queensland’s numbers.
This infection was in a truck driver who lives in Gavin on the Gold Coast and was infectious in the community from September 25 to September 27 before testing positive in NSW.
He’d been infectious in Gold Coast suburbs Mermaid Waters, Merrimac, Nerang, Surfers Paradise, Miami Beach, and Currumbin, with Chief Health Officer Jeannette Young urging those in the areas to get tested if symptoms appear.
The truckie had also travelled through and visited Ballina and Byron Bay.
The new case has prompted mandatory mask wearing rules to be introduced in the Gold Coast area, after being reinforced in Brisbane and Moreton Bay on Tuesday.
Queensland Health Minister Yvette D’Ath said restrictions would also be put on residents visiting hospitals, aged care, disability facilities, and correctional services facilities.
‘We know that the virus is on our doorstep,’ she said during Wednesday’s Covid-19 press conference.
Mask wearing has returned to Queensland following a sudden outbreak in Covid-19 cases (pictured in Brisbane on Tuesday)
‘The genomic sequencing that came back on the two different clusters yesterday show that this virus is not linked to any existing Queensland cases, that these are linked to interstate and potentially overseas.
‘That’s good news. It shows that we don’t have any evidence of the virus still circulating within the community from previous clusters. But it once again shows the risk to Queenslanders of this virus coming across our borders.’
Four new locally-acquired cases were recorded in Brisbane on Tuesday with particular concerns about a truck driver who was infectious in the city for eight days.
The man, who is a mystery case and has been in NSW, stayed at three separate hostels at Spring Hill and at South Brisbane between Thursday and Monday.
Another outbreak involves an aviation worker and his partner from Eatons Hill, who visited a number of venues across Brisbane.
The fourth case is a woman who tested positive on her fifth day out of hotel quarantine, however she may be false-positive.
Ms D’Ath said on Wednesday at this stage there would be no restrictions imposed for the NRL final this Sunday at Brisbane’s Suncorp Stadium.
‘This most recent case, being the close contact from the aviation training facility, we have got in the last hour,’ she said.
‘That’s why we’re taking the steps we are in relation to the Gold Coast. But there’s a lot more work to be done over the next few hours to understand this person’s movements and the risk.’
When asked about a potential lockdown Dr Young said it would come down to the amount of mystery cases.
‘I’m watching this very, very carefully and I’m just asking, because Queenslanders have done such a fantastic job with our last few outbreaks with wearing masks, with coming forward and getting tested, that, at the moment, I’m prepared to wait and see if we’ve got any local transmission,’ she said.
‘At the moment, all of these cases are linked.’
There are now more than 1,000 Queenslanders isolating with 18 active infections around the state.
The twin outbreaks come after tens of thousands of people attended NRL finals and the RiverFire festival in Brisbane on the weekend after face mask wearing rules were relaxed on Friday.
Queensland has recorded one new Covid-19 case as more restrictions are brought in and fears of a lockdown linger
The outbreak has put in doubt the NRL grand final at Suncorp Stadium on Saturday night as well. A crowd of 50,000 is expected to turn out for the event.
Chief Health Officer Jeannette Young said the decision to call it off, and potentially move it to Townsville, could be made as late as Saturday morning.
Concerned health officials released a series of new exposure sites after the state recorded its first mystery case in 50 days on Tuesday.
Two McDonald’s restaurants, a Woolworths supermarket, a cafe, Domino’s pizza store, childcare centre, and inner-city guesthouse are among the venues exposed to the virus which have plunged hundreds into isolation.
The latest virus outbreak has already triggered the return of mandatory mask wearing indoors across the Brisbane and Moreton Bay local government areas.
Five of the exposure sites announced on Tuesday were close contact sites, so anyone who was at the venues at the listed times must get tested and self-isolate for 14 days, regardless of the result.
They include Hill Station Restaurant and Cafe and Brands Pharmacy in Spring Hill, Seats ‘R’ Us in Rocklea, Adalong Student Guesthouse and McDonald’s Southbank.
A host of casual contact venues were also announced, with attendees ordered to test tested and self-isolate until they received a negative result.
McDonalds Southbank in Brisbane has been listed as a close contact exposure site
The new Covid-19 case comes just days ahead of the NRL Grand Final between the Rabbitohs and the Panthers (pictured) to be hosted in Brisbane’s Suncorp Stadium on Sunday
They include Domino’s Pizza in Spring Hill, Mother Duck Childcare and Kindergarten in Eatons Hil, Woolworths Southpoint Metro, Freedom Furniture in Aspley and Mater Public Hospital’s emergency department.
McDonald’s drive-thru in Albany Creek was listed as a low-risk venue between 5.05am and 5.10am on September 24. Anyone there at that time should be on alert for symptoms and get tested if they develop.
The Queensland government has moved to mandate truck drivers entering Queensland have had at least one jab, with seven infected drivers having come into the state since August 24 and then being active in the community.
Freight drivers must receive their first jab by by October 15, and two jabs by November 15.
