Qld Covid-19 update: State records five new cases, three locally acquired

Queensland has recorded five new cases of coronavirus in the past 24 hours – three of them in the community including a 12-year-old boy and his father. Masks will continue to be mandatory in parts of the southeast for another seven days.

A 12-year-old boy is among five new cases of coronavirus in Queensland in the past 24 hours as the state faces two potentially new outbreaks.

Three of those cases have been locally acquired. Two were detected in hotel quarantine.

The new cases mean that Covid-19 restrictions – including the mask mandate — that were due to ease at 6am tomorrow will continue for another week in 11 southeast Queensland areas including Noosa, Sunshine Coast, Gold Coast, Brisbane, Ipswich, Logan, Redlands, Lockyer Valley, Moreton Bay, Scenic Rim and Somerset.

The mask rule will be eased in Townsville at 6am Friday.

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said the young boy tested positive alongside his father.

A fully vaccinated Brisbane International Airport worker has also tested positive.

“We are a little bit concerned about that,” Ms Palaszczuk said.

“We are seeing spot fires around the nation.:

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk has announced five new cases of coronavirus in Queensland, with the number of active cases now at 50. Picture: Brad Fleet

Ms Palaszczuk said the 12-year-old had come from hotel quarantine in Sydney. He flew to Brisbane on QF544 on July 9.

He was allowed into Queensland - despite a ban on travellers from Delta-outbreak hotspot Greater Sydney - because he transited directly from quarantine to the airport.

Chief Health Officer Jeannette Young said the boy had travelled with his mother to the United States for three months before returning to Sydney on June 21.

They did their stint of hotel quarantine before returning to Brisbane on July 9.

He felt unwell after arriving back and went to get tested on July 13 with his result coming back late yesterday.

His mother has tested negative at this stage, but the father has tested positive.

The father works in a financial firm at Cotton Tree on the Sunshine Coast and went to work while infectious yesterday.

Dr Young believes the boy, who lives in Newport, acquired the virus while quarantining in Sydney.

“I need to now get all the information from New South Wales about all of his test results.

She urged all Queenslanders to get tested if they experience symptoms.

Deputy Premier Steven Miles added “it appears this virus has escaped Sydney or hotel quarantine.”

Dr Young said she suspects the third local case - a fully vaccinated female airport worker - has contracted the virus at the airport as a part of a new cluster.

“We potentially have two new outbreaks,” she said.

“I suspect they are unrelated to all of our other cases … we will need to maintain those restrictions.

“We are working that through with the managers at the airport … we want all flight crews both domestic and international to be vaccinated.”

Chief Health Officer Jeannette Young. Picture John Gass

Dr Young said she was concerned about the airport worker, who lives in the Brisbane southside suburb of Tarragindi, because they had been working at the airport while infectious for three days – as she acknowledged she had done everything right.

There are now 50 active coronavirus cases in Queensland, after more than 12,000 tests on Wednesday.

She also said officials were closely monitoring the results in NSW and Victoria as they grapple with their respective outbreaks.

Dr Young urged Queenslanders to reconsider their need to travel to NSW.

She also urged Queenslanders to delay their travel to Victoria.

Police issued 39 masks yesterday, but no fines for non-compliance.

There were over 2,000 vehicles intercepted at the road borders on Wednesday, but only one was turned around.

It comes after a new case was announced yesterday, with several locations across southeast Queensland, including Riverlink Shopping Centre in Ipswich, while infectious.

Dr Young said someone from Brisbane flew to South Korea tested positive for Covid-19 and released the person’s exposure sites yesterday.

“He was at home with his mother, didn’t go out and about and didn’t go to school,” Dr Young said.

Questioned over her visit to Tokyo, Ms Palaszczuk said she would not be going if Queensland was in a similar situation to New South Wales, which has today recorded another 65 local cases of Covid-19.

“I am not attending any events whatsoever, I then fly back to Brisbane and do two weeks of hotel quarantine.”

She said Queensland would know within the week of her return if Brisbane will host the Olympics in 2032.

It comes as Victoria battles twin Covid-19 outbreaks after 10 new infections on Wednesday but no new cases today.

Victorian health authorities have ordered office workers to mask up again, with face coverings now mandatory in all indoor settings – including workplaces and secondary schools.

Meanwhile, two major Sydney hospitals are on high alert after a pregnant woman and fully-vaccinated Covid nurse tested positive to the virus.