Tighter restrictions will return to six Queensland areas as the state records more COVID cases, but the Sunshine Coast has so far escaped the harsher measures.
Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk revealed the state was on heightened alert as six new cases were recorded overnight – four from the one known cluster in Brisbane.
She said that from 4pm Thursday, Brisbane, the Gold Coast, Moreton Bay, Logan, Townsville and Palm Island would move from Stage 3 to Stage 2 measures and this would be in place for a fortnight.
This means the number of people allowed in homes and at weddings and funerals would be reduced, there would be no dancing except for weddings, and businesses and venues would revert to the one person per four square metre rule, or 75% capacity with ticketed and allocated seating. Eating and drinking must be seated.
Ms Palaszczuk said the state had 22 active cases and the next 24 to 48 hours would be critical.
“First of all, the key is testing. We need people with any symptoms to get tested. We need to make sure this is not seeded into the community.
“If you are not vaccinated, go and get vaccinated.
“Also, too, masks! Can I just stress to everyone, especially in South-East Queensland, you need to be wearing your mask and using the check-in app.”
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The Premier said the tighter restrictions were needed to avoid a lockdown and everyone had to take the situation very seriously.
“We can get through this,” she said.
Chief Health Officer Dr Jeannette Young said there were six new cases: four linked to one cluster that had developed after a meeting on September 20.
She said there was now multiple exposure sites, including Townsville, Palm Island, Biggera Waters on the Gold Coast and Brisbane’s Camp Hill.
The two unrelated cases include a woman, from Camp Hill, who went to Kyogle in NSW and had contact with a known case there. She returned to Brisbane where she was infectious in the community between September 25 and 28. She has the Delta strain.
The other case was a woman who flew on Flight VA333 from Melbourne to Brisbane on September 27 and went into hotel quarantine.
Brisbane’s 75 exposure sites include hotels, restaurants, cafes, supermarkets, and shops in Albany Creek, Aspley, the CBD, Camp Hill, Cannon Hill, Carindale, Eatons Hill, Hamilton, Rocklea, South Brisbane and Spring Hill.
Queensland Health said 19 sites were considered close-contact venues.
Residents are urged to regularly monitor the list of exposure venues on the Queensland Health website.”
The roadmap with stage 2 restrictions can be found at the Covid-19 website.
So far, 64.58 per cent of eligible Queenslanders have had their first dose of vaccination, while 45.6 per cent of the population fully inoculated.
The Government says all vaccination hubs will now accept walk-ins following the success of the state’s “Super Pfizer” weekends.
Anyone aged 12 and over is now eligible for the Pfizer vaccine at all Queensland Health vaccination hubs.
