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Queensland declares Adelaide a hotspot as SA cluster spreads
By Lydia Lynch
Queensland has become the fourth jurisdiction to clamp down on travel from South Australia following a spike in COVID-19 cases in Adelaide.
Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said Adelaide would be declared a coronavirus hotspot from 11.59pm on Monday.
Travellers who arrive from Adelaide before the cut-off will be required to get tested and go into quarantine, but can do so where they choose.
A cluster that broke out in Adelaide on Sunday has grown to 17 cases.
From midnight, anyone arriving from Adelaide will be required to undergo 14 days of mandatory hotel quarantine, at their own expense.
Anyone who has been in Adelaide in the past seven days will be asked to go into isolation where they are, until it has been 14 days since they left the hotspot.
Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk.Credit: Jono Searle
“We are concerned about the cluster outbreak we are seeing in Adelaide at the moment,” Ms Palaszczuk said.
It is the first time South Australia has detected community transmission since April.
Three other jurisdictions – Western Australia, the Northern Territory and Tasmania – have announced they will impose restrictions on people travelling from South Australia.
NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian has decided to keep her state open to SA, which could affect Sydneysiders' prospects of entering Queensland for Christmas.
Chief Health Officer Jeannette Young said about 7000 people had arrived in Queensland from Adelaide in the past seven days.
“Well, it depends if they start seeing cases there [in NSW],” Queensland Chief Health Officer Jeannette Young said.
“So if NSW and Victoria start seeing cases in their community, wherever they have come from ... then of course we would make a decision about whether or not we have to declare further hotspots.”
Dr Young said about 7000 people had arrived from Adelaide in the past seven days and flown into Brisbane, Cairns and the Gold Coast, while others arrived via road.
She said Adelaide would need to reach 28 days if no unlinked community transmission before she would consider relaxing quarantine rules.
Ms Palaszczuk said she hoped Adelaide got on top of the outbreak quickly.
“This cluster outbreak is of concern, it is not like the outbreaks we have had in Queensland.
“We have had extraordinary success rates and the last thing we want to see is Queenslanders having to go into any form of lockdown.”
It has been 63 days since a person infected with the virus was last mingling in the community.
Queensland Deputy Premier Steven Miles said earlier "obviously the whole country is concerned about those these cases, which appear to be unlinked in South Australia".
"It does appear that these cases have come out of hotel quarantine and that is very concerning. That is where the Victorian outbreak started.
"Obviously there will be people travelling from South Australia to Queensland for the State of Origin, so that is one of the things that will need to be taken into consideration," he said.
The State of Origin rugby league decider will be played in Brisbane on Wednesday night in front of a a crowd of about 50,000 people.
Mr Miles said it would be the biggest live event in the world since the pandemic was declared.
People required to undergo mandatory hotel quarantine in Queensland have been required to foot the $2600 bill since August.
No new cases of COVID-19 were detected in Queensland overnight, leaving eight active cases in quarantine.