COVID QLD: NSW COVID-risk visitors told to quarantine in Queensland hotels

Queensland has declared all visitors arriving from potential NSW COVID-19 exposure sites must undergo hotel quarantine from 1am on Friday after a second case of community transmission was detected there.

Queensland has declared all visitors arriving from potential COVID exposure sites in NSW must undergo hotel quarantine from 1am on Friday after a second case of community transmission.

Meanwhile, a Townsville man has been admitted to hospital after experiencing abdominal pain following his first dose of the Astra-Zeneca vaccine.

Anyone arriving from NSW who has been to potential COVID exposure sites will be sent to hotel quarantine.

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The move will come into effect from 1am tomorrow, with police to meet with passengers as they disembark from planes.

It comes as Queensland recorded three new overseas-acquired COVID cases overnight, bringing the total number of active cases to 22.

NSW now has two locally acquired cases.

Health Minister Yvette D’Ath said anyone who has been to any potential exposure sites and has since returned to Queensland needs to quarantine for 14 days and get tested.

Chief Health Officer Dr Jeannette Young and Health Minister Yvette D'Ath. Photographer: Liam Kidston.

Chief Health Officer Jeannette Young said anyone who has been in Sydney since April 27 and has developed symptoms needed to get tested.

Ms D’Ath said the government would be watching the NSW cases closely, including how the outbreak began.

She encouraged anyone thinking about travelling to Greater Sydney to reconsider their travel plans.

Ms D’Ath described any potential border closures or hotspots as “hypothetical”, but she said she was “very concerned” about the situation in NSW and warned Queenslanders about heading south.

“If you were considering travelling to Greater Sydney you should consider your plans because we don’t know what’s going to evolve,” she said.

She did not reveal how long the new direction would be enforced, and said talks about future border closures were “hypothetical”.

“If Dr Young recommends there needs to be hotspot areas... we will follow that advice,” she said.

The Meat Store at 262 Oxford Street Bondi Junction. It was visited recently by a man who has tested positive to Covid-19. Picture: John Appleyard

Queensland Health on Wednesday issued urgent health advice to anyone who has been to a declared NSW exposure site and is currently in Queensland – they must quarantine at home immediately.

For those who have returned from NSW, but have not been to a listed exposure site, should get tested if they develop any symptoms.

Chief health officer Jeannette Young said it was crucial that anyone who had been to the exposure sites undertook quarantine at home.

NSW recorded two new cases overnight – one local transmission – including the wife of the 50-year-old man who tested positive on Tuesday, prompting new restrictions to be announced.

From 5pm today, masks will be compulsory indoors and on public transport for the next three days in Greater Sydney, Premier Gladys Berejiklian said, with only 20 people allowed to gather in homes.

NSW contact tracers are scrambling to find close contacts of the state’s first locally transmitted COVID-19 case in months.

The 50-year-old man was tested for coronavirus on Tuesday and returned a positive result on Wednesday, authorities said.

He has not travelled overseas and does not work in hotel quarantine or health.

Genome sequence testing is currently underway.

Anyone who attended one of the following venues at the times specified is asked to immediately get tested and isolate until NSW Health provides further information.