Covid-19 update: Qld records 10 new local Covid-19 cases

Queensland has recorded 11 new Covid-19 cases, 10 of them linked to the Indooroopilly school cluster and picked up in home quarantine. It comes as the border reopens with South Australia, but concern ramps up about widespread outbreaks in NSW.

Queensland has recorded 11 new cases in Queensland over the past 24 hours.

Ten of those cases are connected to the Indooroopilly State High School cluster and have been detected in people in home quarantine.

The other case was acquired overseas and picked up in hotel quarantine.

All of today’s today’s cases, except one, tested positive late into their quarantine period on Day 10 or 11.

The one other person tested positive on Day 7.

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk has described the result as “more good news” and said the state would reopen the border with South Australia, but only for flights because of concern about the situation in New South Wales.

Annastacia Palaszczuk has announced 11 new Covid-19 cases in Queensland, 10 connected to the western suburbs school outbreak. Picture: Tara Croser.

Queensland yesterday recorded four new local cases of coronavirus, all linked to the Indooroopilly school cluster and all detected in home quarantine.

It comes as many of the families caught up in that western suburbs outbreak were freed from home quarantine after a final Covid-19 test.

More are expected to be able to leave their homes on Thursday.

Ms Palaszczuk said if anyone in home quarantine had any questions around when they could leave, they should ring 134 COVID.

Ms Palaszczuk praised those remaining in home quarantine as the Indooroopilly cluster reached 130 cases. There are now more than 15,000 contacts related to the outbreak.

“You are heroes,” she said.

At least 30 Indooroopilly State High School and Ironside State School families will remain in isolation for another fortnight.

Chief Health Officer Jeannette Young said people in home quarantine must remain for the full 14 days even if they had received a negative Covid-19 test .

“We’re still seeing cases pop up towards the end of that incubation period,” she said.

“Stay the distance, it’s not too much longer.”

Dr Young warned “there would be more outbreaks”, saying there had been 15 Covid incursions in the state in the past six weeks and the most recent cluster was the one that got away from health authorities.

The border to South Australia will reopen today however people must fly into Queensland.

Ms Palaszczuk again said people living on the Gold Coast and in the southern part of the state should not be crossing into NSW, and that authorities won’t hesitate to further restrict travel.

She warned Queensland would take tougher measures to stop border crossings if needed but advised essential workers could still commute around the border region.

As the mass vaccination centre in South Brisbane swings into its second day, Ms Palaszczuk said 1465 jabs were delivered at the site on Wednesday.

Dr Young said the vaccination rates on Queensland’s borders were strong and said she had directed health authorities to work towards completing it.

“We’ve done a lot of vaccinations in those border communities,” she said.

Ms Palaszczuk said all Australian states were concerned about what was happening in NSW.

If we’ve got to put in place tighter restrictions we will,” she said.

“We hope that NSW gets on top of this current outbreak - it is in the national interest.”

Dr Young has revealed masks will be removed the “minute” it is safe to do so.

“These masks, I hate them,” she said.

“I find them so hard - they are so against our normal culture but boy they work.

“They are so effective.”

Dr Young said people in quarantine would not be permitted to attend a funeral even if they tested negative on day seven.

“It’s really sad, I can’t imagine the stress and the awfulness of it. It is an absolutely tragic, terrible situation but I can’t make it tragic even more by having someone go to a funeral and spread the virus,” she said.