Qld lockdown: cash relief announced, six new local Delta cases confirmed

A boy under 10 years of age and two females under 20 are among the latest Covid-19 cases in a Delta cluster that sparked a snap lockdown in southeast Queensland.

Eleven Queensland Local Government Areas, with an estimated population of 3,288,000, have now gone into a three-day lockdown, after six new local cases of Covid-19 – all the highly infectious Delta strain – were recorded.

There was also one new case of Covid-19 in hotel quarantine.

Queensland Health on Saturday night revealed a boy under 10 and two women under the age of 20 were among the latest Covid-19 cases in Queensland’s Delta.

According to Queensland Health officials, a young boy aged between 0 and nine years old and two girls aged between 10 and 19 years old are both among the cluster of seven Queenslanders infected with the Delta strain.

In the interests of public health and safety, this Covid-19 story has been unlocked.

One of these cases is presumably the 17-year-old girl from Indooroopilly State High School who tested positive and was believed to be unknowingly infectious in the community for three days from Tuesday.

Another woman in her 20s, a woman in her 30s and a man and a woman in their 40s have all also tested positive for the Delta strain.

Authorities confirmed that the 17-year-old girl’s parents and relatives, as well as a medical student who tutored the girl, are among those who tested positive.

A teacher at Ironside State School where the girl’s sibling attends school also contracted the virus.

Weekly disaster payments of up to $750 per person will be made available to eligible Queenslanders who have had their work hours impacted by the recent Covid lockdown.

Eligible workers can now claim the Covid-19 Disaster Payment of up to $750 a week if they have lost 20 hours or more of work.

A further payout is also available at $450 a week if eligible workers have lost between eight and less than 20 hours or a full day of work.

People who already receive an income support payment can also claim to get an extra $200 if they’ve lost more than eight hours of work and still meet the other eligibility requirements.

“We stand with Australians as we make our way through the global pandemic,” Senator Bridget McKenzie said.

The payment will be eligible to those who live or work in Queensland or have visited a Commonwealth-declared Covid-19 hotspot and will be back-paid to the start of lockdown.

Those who believe they will be eligible have been urged to set up their MyGov accounts so they can claim online.

The Covid-19 Disaster Payment has already handed more than $928 million worth of payments to people in New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia.

Further information will be available when the claims open but the government has said there is no need to contact Services Australia at this time.

Australia’s Acting chief health officer declared the region a hotspot for the purposes of Commonwealth support, meaning the federal government will provide funding for disaster payments and redirect vaccines if needed.

The decision to lockdown comes after a 17-year-old girl – a student at Indooroopilly State High School – tested positive to coronavirus.

Both Indooroopilly State High School and nearby Ironside State School students are all in quarantine for 14 days.

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The girl’s parents and relatives, as well as a tutor, are among those who tested positive for Covid-19 overnight.

It is believed the girl was unknowingly infectious in the community for three days from Tuesday, including two days while at school.

Deputy Premier Steven Miles said the lockdown would start at 4pm on Saturday with the 11 local government areas (LGAs) already subject to mask requirements ordered to stay at home.

He said it would be the strictest lockdown Queensland has ever had.

Mr Miles warned that the Covid situation in Queensland was “different” this time, and he urged all Queenslanders to comply with the tough restrictions.

People will only be able to travel within 10km of their home for essential reasons.

Masks will become mandatory for everyone at high schools, including students.

Schools and childcare centres will remain open, but only essential worker parents will be able to send their children.

He said there would be no visitors to homes within those LGAs and tough restrictions will apply to funerals and weddings.

Cinemas and gyms will all close under the lockdown order.

Grocery stores will remain open during the lockdown, with the Deputy Premier urging people to not rush to the supermarkets.

The restrictions will be in place until 4pm Tuesday, but Mr Miles warned it would be subject to what occurs over the coming days.

Mr Miles said it was the government’s intention for there to be a short lockdown.

He said the government would seek to have a compensation package in place for people impacted by the shutdown.

A Covid-19 cleaning crew at Indooroopilly State High School after a student tested positive. Picture: Grace Grace/Facebook

chief health officer Jeannette Young, who urged Queenslanders to “stay at home”, said she suspected that a medical student, who had tutored the 17-year-old’s younger sibling at home, was the index case.

She said officials were now rapidly contact tracing the medical student, who she said had been to a lot of places.

She said she expected an “enormous” number of exposure sites throughout Brisbane.

“I suspect that that medical student is the index case and has taken it into that household and spread it into that household,” Dr Young said.

She urged anyone to come forward for testing as soon as they experience the first signs of the symptoms.

She said she expected an “enormous” number of exposure sites throughout Brisbane.

Dr Young said it was one of the most restrictive lockdowns in Queensland since the start of the pandemic and she urged anyone who has since left the relevant local government areas to other parts of Queensland to follow the same lockdown orders.

“For the next three days I need everyone in those 11 LGAs who have been wearing masks to stay home and don’t leave unless it’s absolutely critical,” Dr Young said.

Police and other officials at Indooroopilly State High School on Friday after it was closed due to a Covid-19 case. Picture: Josh Woning

Deputy Commissioner Steve Gollschewski said police handed out 127 masks to people yesterday and fined three people including a Coolum cafe business owner who was arrested for refusing to follow directions.

He urged anyone planning to protest the lockdown restrictions to think twice and said any protest would be met with a “strong police presence”.

“Now is not the time for protests in our community,” he said.

“We ask that you don’t go ahead with those protests.”