Morrison agrees to halve Qld international arrivals

The Prime Minister has agreed to halve the number of overseas passengers flying into Queensland for the next two weeks, after the Premier higher rates of COVID were stretching hospitals.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison has agreed to halve the number of passengers flying into Queensland for the next two weeks.

The decision was made after Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk made the plea in writing and on the phone on Saturday.

Queensland is currently taking about 1300 overseas arrivals a week but Ms Palaszczuk said the high rate of positive tests among returning travellers – including five more on Saturday – was a concern.

“Every day over the last fortnight we have been seeing five or six cases … we’re almost at the capacity (in) hospitals that we were at (during) the peak of the pandemic.

“That’s not to say our hospitals can’t cope … but this large influx that we’re seeing and the high rates of returned travellers coming back being (COVID-19) positive … for the next two weeks I’m asking the Prime Minister to halve our number of overseas returning travellers.

“Hopefully he’ll give that due consideration as soon as possible.”

Halving the number of COVID-19 cases would allow the Government to concentrate on contact testing, Ms Palaszczuk said.

The proportion of people returning from overseas who are testing positive for COVID-19 in hotel quarantine in Queensland is estimated to be nearly 23 times higher now than in October 2020.

It was 0.11 per cent of total numbers in the week ending October 11 last year and 2.5 per cent last week.

Ms Palaszczuk’s plea to the PM comes after The Courier-Mail revealed that Queensland’s largest public hospital will bring dozens of extra beds online to cope with the high numbers of positive COVID-19 cases travelling into the state from Papua New Guinea.

The Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital has been planning to expand its bed numbers.