Chief Health Officer Jeannette Young gives COVID update

Queensland has recorded one new case of coronavirus overnight, a child who is in hotel quarantine as more details of the Hotel Grand Chancellor outbreak have been revealed.

Queensland has recorded one new case of coronavirus overnight, a child who is in hotel quarantine.

Chief Health Officer Jeannette Young said the new case was a child who had recently travelled from South Africa.

She said it was now day 14 since the “incident” happened at the Hotel Grand Chancellor.

From 6pm tonight, guests who had already completed their 14 days quarantine but were transferred from the hotel to another hotel will be allowed to leave.

She said all staff associated with the hotel will also be allowed to leave quarantine.

No new cases of community transmission have been recorded.

Queensland Chief Health Officer Dr Jeannette Young. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Dan Peled

Dr Young said there was every chance Queensland had controlled the UK strain cluster.

Said she was hopeful, not confident, that there was no community transmission in Queensland.

Health Minister Yvette D’Ath urged everyone to get tested if they have any symptoms.

Ms D’Ath said the investigation was ongoing into the Hotel Grand Chancellor.

She said at least 30 people at the hotel who were moved to The Westin plus the additional staff and previous guests will be leaving.

Dr Young said now the incident that led to the transmission of the virus in the Grand Chancellor happened on January 2.

“They’ve all been retested and they’re all negative,” she said.

Dr Young said she does not believe the incubation period is any longer.

“The incubation period is still 14 days – the isolation period … has now been lengthened, it used to be 10 days, now it’s 14 days,” she said.

“For people who have … one of those variants, they now when they get tested have to remain in isolation for 14 days and then have to have a clearance test to make sure they’ve cleared the virus.”

Restrictions such as mask wearing in indoor spaces and reduced capacities for venues and gatherings remain in place for Greater Brisbane.

Police will scour through hours of CCTV footage at Queensland’s quarantine hotels in a full audit of the surveillance used to monitor guests and staff after a cluster among guests at the Hotel Grand Chancellor.

Queensland yesterday recorded three new cases of COVID-19, with two being acquired overseas and detected in hotel quarantine. The third case is historical and was recorded in Cairns.

Hours after the announcement South Australian authorities confirmed they will open their borders to Greater Brisbane from midnight tonight.

It comes as fragments of COVID-19 were detected in sewerage across the southeast including at Gibson Island in South Brisbane, Pimpama, Loganholme and Wynnum.