Numbers to skyrocket as authorities fear threat not taken seriously

Queensland health authorities have warned that the southeast’s snap lockdown may have to be extended even further with the Delta explosion far from over.

Queenslanders have had their strictest warning to stay home and get tested as authorities worry people aren’t taking the latest outbreak seriously, even as numbers are expected to skyrocket in coming days.

Authorities are worried complacency could cost Queensland its hard-won freedoms, with concerns the South East could follow Sydney’s trajectory of rolling outbreaks and lockdowns if people don’t stop going out and aiding transmission of the Delta strain.

It comes as Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk issued a rallying call for all to pull together again to stop the virus in its tracks.

Bosses and workers on Monday copped a dressing down from chief health officer Jeannette Young for still going to work despite the hardline lockdown, ­during which people have been repeatedly asked to stay home unless absolutely necessary.

Traffic on Lytton Rd on the CBD fringe on Monday. Picture: Liam Kidston.

It came as roads remained unexpectedly busy, police were forced to mobilise to head off dangerous protests, and fines continued to be doled out to people refusing to wear masks.

Behind the scenes, ­authorities are much more worried over this latest ­outbreak than any other before, but are concerned the public aren’t taking the risks as seriously as they should.

Dr Young pleaded with people that just because they’d gone to the office during previous lockdowns didn’t mean they could do so during this one.

Asked whether she expected more cases over the extended lockdown, now due to lift at 4pm on Sunday, she said: “Yes, of course I do. A lot of additional cases.”

She appealed to people to stay home “for your own sake” so they wouldn’t be exposed to this “unforgiving” variant of the virus, which could be anywhere in the community and took just seconds to transmit.

Beachgoers at Coolum during day two of Queensland's Covid-19 lockdown. Picture: Lachie Millard

Dr Young said the only way to lift the lockdown was for everyone with symptoms to get tested and for everyone to stay home.

She said people should go to work only if they genuinely could not work from home. She even warned people not to go grocery shopping unless they genuinely needed food and, even then, to investigate online shopping.

“We need to lock down really, really hard – the hardest we’ve ever locked down,” Dr Young said.

“Genuinely, if you don’t need to leave your house, don’t. It is really, really, ­really important. And I can’t understand why anyone would be in an office today.

“If you are in an office today, why aren’t you at home? There are far too many cars out on the road when I drove in this morning.

“So please, so that we can make sure that we provide 100 per cent the best possible care we can, I need fewer people with Covid so we can continue to provide that care.”

Police talking to pedestrians in the Brisbane CBD on Monday. Picture: Liam Kidston.

Authorities were happier with testing numbers on ­Sunday compared with Saturday, but still want them doubling from the 21,806 recorded. More testing sites are rolling out, including 24-hour testing, but Ms Palaszczuk said the medical workforce had been affected by mandatory quarantine orders linked to the listed schools.

Nevertheless, Dr Young said people across the entire state should be tested, warning against a complacency in the regions that could see the virus silently spreading there.

“I don’t know where this virus has already moved to,” she said.

“So just because you live outside one of those 11 LGAs, don’t feel comfortable.”

Police perform compliance checks in the Brisbane CBD. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Jono Searle

Health Minister Yvette D’Ath said testing and staying at home saved lives.

“We’ve seen two people in NSW who have died at home because they have not gone and got tested for Covid,” she said. “What we know is that the Delta variant in Queensland is leading to a higher rate of hospitalisation than NSW. So we need you to take this seriously.

“If you are unwell, even with the most mild of symptoms, then you must come and get tested wherever you are in Queensland.”

NSW reported 207 new cases on Monday, with at least 51 in the community for their entire infectious period. The source of half of the cases was still unknown on Monday. Another death was reported, taking the toll of this outbreak to 15.

There were two new coronavirus cases announced in Victoria on Monday, both linked to ­current outbreaks and in quarantine throughout while infectious.

There was a large police presence in the Brisbane CBD on Monday. Picture: Liam Kidston.