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'Encouraging news': Hope for Easter as Qld records just two new locally acquired cases

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There is hope for Brisbane’s lockdown to end before Easter after Queensland recorded only two new cases of community acquired coronavirus overnight Tuesday.

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said the low rate of infections after a massive testing blitz was “encouraging news”.

Both cases are linked to a nurse from the Princess Alexandra Hospital which is considered one cluster.

A third case was an overseas person in hotel quarantine.

Hundreds of Sunshine Coast people connected to surf lifesaving clubs are among those who have been urged to undergo testing after a person tested positive who was at the state titles on the weekend.

The Sunshine Coast’s tourism industry is holding its collective breath that the lockdown will end as planned on Thursday at 5pm.

Ms Palaszczuk and Dr Jeannette Young both said they were pleased with the numbers which meant so far there were no unlinked infections in the community in the state.

Ms Palaszczuk said “fingers crossed” the signs were looking good that Easter would go ahead but one of the key factors would be how many people came forward for testing.

Over the previous 24-hour period, a massive 33,408 people were tested which Ms Palaszczuk said was “fantastic”.

They urged Queenslanders with any symptoms to continue getting tested which was a vital part of being able to contain any further spread.

Ms Palaszczuk said another update would be delivered on Thursday at 9am as to whether the lockdown would be extended. The three-day lockdown of Greater Brisbane was due to end at 5pm on Thursday.

Queensland now has 71 active cases, of which 58 are from overseas.

One of the cases linked to the nurse cluster is in hospital in Toowoomba and one in Bundaberg.

Earlier

A person who visited the Queensland Surf Life Saving Championships, which was attended by hundreds of Sunshine Coast lifesavers, has tested positive for COVID-19.

Surf Life Saving Queensland said late Tuesday it had been advised by Queensland Health authorities that an attendee, who had since tested positive, was at the titles at Tugun on Sunday, March 28, between 12.30 and 2pm.

“If you visited us during this time, you should get tested and quarantine until you have a negative result,” SLSQ said.

“We are working with the authorities to contact those close contacts who also attended the event.”

The championships were attended by thousands of athletes, supporters, officials and spectators and that period on Sunday was when a number of finals were being held.

The Sunshine Coast was strongly represented and local club officials will be busy trying to communicate to the members involved to ensure they get tested as soon as possible.

Nathan Greig, Maroochydore Surf Life Saving Club’s head coach, said it was unfortunate that this had happened, but lifesavers would do the right thing.

“We’ll just have to follow government protocols, do what they advise us to do and see how we pop out the other side of it,” he said.

“We’ve just got to be guided by the governing body (SLSQ) and the Government and do what they tell us to do and hope for the best.”

Mr Greig estimated there were about 40 Maroochydore athletes and “a couple of hundred” Sunshine Coast competitors on the beach at the time.

Meanwhile, there is an anxious wait to find out if Greater Brisbane’s lockdown will lift before Easter, as the hospital at the centre of the new outbreaks locks down.

Queensland Health on Tuesday evening confirmed the Princess Alexandra Hospital would be locked down for the second time in a month.

“This additional lockdown will enable PA Hospital to put in place processes to manage impacts associated with these linked cases,” an official said.

The hospital will continue to test all staff that have worked in the COVID-19 ward since March 19.

The nearby Mater Mothers’ Hospital has also sent home staff – including midwives and doctors – after a recent visitor tested positive to the virus, according to the ABC.

The person visited the private maternity section and a nearby coffee shop popular with staff.

Another eight locally transmitted virus cases were announced on Tuesday, as the premier confirmed two distinct clusters were spreading in Queensland.

Both clusters are genomically linked to two Princess Alexandra Hospital staff who tested positive.

It comes as concerns grow that Greater Brisbane’s lockdown will not lift by Good Friday.

The region was declared a COVID-19 hotspot on Tuesday by Chief Medical Officer Paul Kelly, who warned the situation was escalating and travellers should take note of border closures.

“It may be one thing to go there but coming back might also be difficult,” he said.

“I can’t predict what’s going to happen in the next week or two.”

The lockdown is scheduled to lift at 5pm on Thursday, but Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said health authorities were taking things “day-by-day”.

She said the decision to lockdown about 2.5 million people was the right step after eight additional cases were reported on Tuesday.

“Do we expect to see more cases – probably, probably we will see more,” she said.
“The big question will be whether or not we see unlinked community transmission.”

Chief Health Officer Jeannette Young has also left the door open to expand lockdown measures to other regions.

One known case lives on the Gold Coast and others have visited Toowoomba, Gladstone, Hervey Bay and Gin Gin while infectious.

“The message here is that people should be on alert, no matter where they are in Queensland,” Dr Young said.

On Tuesday evening, Queensland Health added nine Gold Coast locations to a list of potential exposure sites.

Included were a Surf Life Saving competition at Tugun and the popular Bundall Farmers’ Market at the Home of the Arts, both on Sunday.

Meanwhile, the National Retail Association is urging Queensland to take a “light-touch” to ongoing restrictions after the initial lockdown.

“Our message to the government is that retailers can safely manage the risks associated with COVID-19, and they should be allowed to get back to business once the three-day lockdown is complete,” CEO Dominique Lamb said.

“Of all the major COVID hotspots that Queensland has seen, none of them has been linked to a retail store.”

Earlier

Queensland has recorded eight new locally acquired cases overnight, six of which are linked to a doctor and nurse who worked at the Princess Alexandra Hospital and two of which are still under investigation.

Dr Jeannette Young said the six known community acquired cases were being considered as part of two separate clusters.

One of the clusters is linked to a nurse who is believed to have become infected on her shift and passed it on to her sister. That cluster now totals seven infections plus the original overseas traveller from India.

The second cluster is linked to a doctor at the PA who became infected by a COVID patient which is now at eight cases plus another two suspected cases.

The two of the overnight community acquired cases are under investigation but also believed to be connected to the two clusters.

Premier Annastacia Palaszcuk said it was “good news” that the cases of community transmission were able to be linked back to the original infections.

Both clusters are of the B117 strain which is the more infectious UK mutation of the coronavirus.

“The good news is, these cases are linked and we now believe there are two distinct clusters,” Ms Palsaszczuk said.

“We have a cluster linked of course to that PA doctor, and we have a second cluster linked to the PA nurse.”

Ms Palaszcuk said it was too early to know whether the three-day lockdown would be extended but one of the big questions would be whether they picked up cases of community transmission that were not linked.

Dr Young said genome sequencing showed all the cases could be traced back to the two clusters.

“We don’t have community transmission out there we’re not aware of,” she said.

“But we’ve had a lot of people now, out in the community, infectious. That’s why we need this three-day lockdown.”

Queensland now has 78 active cases the vast majority of which are overseas acquired.

It comes as Greater Brisbane has entered a snap three-day lockdown. Queensland Health authorities have released a list of sites where there may have been a risk of exposure to coronavirus.

Visitors to the following venues at the specified times must isolate for 14 days and complete a contact tracing self-assessment online.

Saturday, March 20

* Shinobi Ramen Noodle shop, Westfield Shopping Centre, Carindale, 12pm-2.16pm
* Black Hops Brewery, East Brisbane, 12pm-2pm
* Green Beacon brewing Co, Teneriffe, 2pm-3.12pm
* Eatons Hill Hotel, Eatons Hill, 3.44pm-5.30pm

Sunday, March 21
* Mamma’s Italian Restaurant, Redcliffe, 12.30pm-3.10pm

Monday, March 22

* PCYC Pine Rivers, Bray Park, 7.16am-8.10am

Friday, March 26

* Spinnaker Park Cafe, Callemondah, 10.22am-11.23am
* Auckland House, Gladstone Central, 7.23pm-9.30pm
*FitStop Gym, Morningside, 6.50am-8am

Saturday, March 27

* Auckland House, Gladstone Central, 7.33am-8.20am
Visitors to the following venues should get tested immediately and quarantine until they get a negative result.

Friday, March 19

*Little Red Dumpling, Carseldine, 12.10pm-1.16pm
*Woolworths, Carseldine, 1.10pm-1.20pm
*Aldi, Bald Hills, 5.10pm-5.18pm
*Super Cheap Auto, Bald Hills, 5.30pm-5.33pm

Saturday, March 20

* Westfield Carindale Shopping Centre – any part of the shopping centre, Carindale, 12pm-2.16pm
* Black Hops Brewery, East Brisbane, 2pm-3pm
* Market Organics (store only), Newmarket, 2.45-3pm
* Baskins-Robbins, Everton Park, 9.20pm-9.25pm

Sunday, March 21

* The Standard Market Company, Gasworks Plaza, Newstead, 9.50am-10.20am
* Genki Mart, Alderley, 10.30am-10.46am
* Liquorland, Dolphins Central Shopping Centre, Kippa-Ring, 4.40pm-5.50pm

Monday, March 22

* Bunnings Rothwell, 7.14am-7.27am

*Café L’avenue, Carseldine, 8.51am-8.58am
*Zambrero, Aspley, 12.05pm-12.34pm
*Jacobs Bakery, Aspley, 12.4pm-12.48pm
* Bunnings Stafford, 12.4pm-12.50pm
* Bunnings Lawnton, 3.15pm-3.30pm
* Strathpine Plaza Shopping Centre, Strathpine, 3.43pm-3.49pm

Tuesday, March 23

* Redcliffe Train Line – Kippa Ring to Lawnton, 7am-8am
*Café L’avenue, Carseldine, 8am-8.29am
*Sushi Train, Carseldine, 12pm-12.45pm
* Zambrero, Lawnton, 12.51pm-12.55pm
* Lawnton Fruit Market, Lawnton, 1.57pm-2.05pm
* Redcliffe Train Line – Lawnton to Kippa Ring, 2pm-3pm
* Nellas Gourmet Tucker, Lawnton, 3.37pm-3.47pm
* Poolwerx Strathpine, Strathpine, 3.15pm-3.27pm
* Dan Murphy’s, Strathpine, 7.26pm-7.36pm

Wednesday, March 24

* Redcliffe Train Line – Lawnton to Kippa Ring, 2.30pm-3.30pm
* Lawnton Country Markets, Lawnton, 2.36pm-2.43pm

Thursday, March 25

*Café L’avenue, Carseldine, 8am-8.29am
* Gin Gin Bakery, Gin Gin, 1.26pm-1.33pm
* Aldi Stafford, Stafford City Shopping Centre, Stafford, 8.30am-8.45am
*Café L’avenue, Carseldine, 12.34pm-1.34pm
* Nundah Respiratory Clinic, Nundah, 11.15am-11.40am
*Cold Rock Ice Creamery, Raby Bay, 3.50pm-4pm
*Woolworths, Cleveland, 4.30pm-4.45pm
* Miriam Vale Star Roadhouse and Caravan Park, Miriam Vale – 2.35pm.2.45pm
* Redcliffe Train Line – Lawnton to Kippa Ring, 5.45pm-6.45pm
* BWS – Lawnton Drive, Lawnton, 6.15pm-6.30pm
*Hanwoori Korean BBQ Restaurant, Brisbane City, 6.30pm-7.30pm
*Wintergarden carpark, Brisbane City, 6.19pm-7.50pm
* Ceres Pizza Cafe, Strathpine, 7pm-7.58pm

Friday, March 26

*Nurse Station café, South Brisbane, 10.15am-10.30am
*SPAR Carina Megafresh, Carina, 11.30am-11.45am
* Coles, Stockland Gladstone, Gladstone Central, 12.09pm-12.33pm
*Woolworths, Coorparoo, 12.55pm-1.30pm
* Redcliffe Train Line – Lawnton to Kippa Ring, 2.30pm-3.30pm
* Woolworths, Peninsula Fair Shopping Centre, Kippa-Ring, 3pm-3.20pm
* Stockland Gladstone (including BWS), Gladstone, 4.46pm-5pm
* Byron Beach Hotel, Byron Bay, 7.15pm-8.30pm

Saturday, March 27

* IGA Redcliffe, 12.50pm-12:55pm

Sunday, March 28

* The Farm Byron Bay, Ewingsdale, 8am, 9.30am

Monday, March 29

* All of Greater Brisbane’s local government areas have been declared a hotspot. This includes: Brisbane council areas, Ipswich, Logan, Redlands and Moreton.

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