Covid Queensland: More new cases emerge, restrictions return
Queensland records six new Covid-19 cases, restrictions re-introduced
Cases from NSW, Victoria emerge in Queensland
Queensland has reported six new cases of community-transmitted coronavirus with restrictions re-introduced to several regions.
Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk told reporters on Thursday the six new cases includes a pilot who flew into Townsville.
The premier added Brisbane, Gold Coast, Moreton Bay, Logan, Townsville and Palm Islands will go to stage two restrictions from 4pm on Thursday.
"That means the number of people allowed into your home will be 30 including visitors, residents and children; weddings and funerals will go back to 100, 20 people dancing at weddings; restaurants and cafes for two weeks will return to one person per four square-metre rule,"she said.
"Everyone realises that we've got to put these restrictions in place if we are to avoid a lockdown at this stage."
The NRL Grand Final, due for a Sunday evening kick-off in Brisbane, will now be reduced to 75 per cent capacity under the restrictions. Everyone in attendance will have to wear a mask.
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The premier said who attends and who doesn't will be left to the NRL and the venue to determine. The game is a sellout.
Cases from NSW, Victoria emerge in Queensland
Chief Health Officer Dr Jeannette Young said four of the six cases are connected to the aviation cluster.
"It looks like we think the event where all these people were exposed and got infected happened on 20th of September," Dr Young said.
"We still have to do a bit more work to clarify that but we believe that's when it occurred. We think people started being infectious in the community from the 21st."
An unrelated case is a woman living in Brisbane's suburb of Cannon Hill. She visited Kyogle in northern NSW before returning home and was infectious in the community from September 25-28.
Dr Young said it is believed she acquired her infection from Kyogle.
The sixth case is a woman who quarantined in Brisbane after flying in from Melbourne on September 27. She is a Queensland resident who returned from England.
Dr Young believes she was infectious on her flight VA333.
There are two more clusters: in Gaven, on the Gold Coast, and Brisbane's suburb of Spring Hill but they have no new cases attached to them.
Queensland Health said 19 sites are considered close contact venues.
Two cases were recorded on the Gold Coast on Wednesday — an aviation worker from Biggera Waters who's a colleague of a case in Brisbane, and a Mermaid Waters truck driver who tested positive while working in NSW.
The seven Gold Coast exposure sites include one close contact site.
Chief Health Officer Jeanette Young has said a lockdown may not be necessary as authorities have been able to link all four cases to clusters in NSW or overseas.
"I'm watching this very, very carefully. At the moment, I am prepared to wait and see if we've got any local transmission," she said on Wednesday.
More to come.
with AAP
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