Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk provides update on Queensland’s Covid-19 response

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk has announced two new local cases of Covid-19 in Queensland as she warns she will not hesitate to slam the border shut to NSW if the Delta outbreak continues to spread.

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk says she will not hesitate to slam Queensland’s borders shut to NSW if that state’s Delta outbreak continues to spread.

It comes after Queensland recorded two new locally acquired cases of Covid-19 – both linked to current cases and detected in home quarantine.

Ms Palaszczuk said a positive case had been detected in Goulburn and health authorities were monitoring sewerage results in NSW.

“If we are seeing it is spreading to other parts of NSW, we will not hesitate to shut the border,” she said.

The Premier said they were ‘keeping a very close eye’ on the situation in NSW.

“If we get to the stage we have to close the border, we will do that but at this stage we are monitoring it every single day.”

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk will provide an update on the Covid situation in Queensland. Picture: Brad Fleet

Regarding the two new local cases of Covid in Queensland Ms Palaszczuk said authorities were “not worried about them at all”.

The cases are close contacts of the Greek Orthodox Community Administration Centre and tested positive on day 12 of home quarantine.

Chief health officer Dr Jeannette Young said: “Our system is working beautifully because people are being extremely responsive.

“Both have tested positive on day 12, both are well and symptom free.”

Dr Young said she would look into the new case in Goulburn before she made any decisions about closing the border to New South Wales

“I need to find out about the case, I am not aware of it so I’ll be speaking to my colleagues today,” Ms Young said.

“Every case is an individual case.”

Ms Palaszczuk also announced a new case that was acquired overseas and detected in hotel quarantine.

The overseas acquired case tested positive on the first day of hotel quarantine having travelled from the UK via Singapore

There are 2,924 people still in home isolation following the outbreaks.

Health Minister Yvette D’Ath said people were testing positive towards the end of their home quarantine stay.

Chief Health Officer Jeannette Young. Picture John Gass

A total of 2053 vehicles were intercepted at the Queensland border in the past 24 hours and only one car was turned around while eight were turned around at the domestic airport.

“We want Queenslanders to come home because the situations is unfolding each day in New South Wales,” Ms Palaszczuk said.

“If we do see it spreading to other parts of New South Wales then we won’t hesitate to shut it down.”

Ms Palaszczuk rejected claims that celebrities and sports players are getting special treatment and said they will be able to manage the NRL bubble.

“Because we are working with the NRL, we worked with the AFL, I mean what’s going to happen, no competition? No one is going to like that.”

Yesterday, the Premier announced Queensland’s Covid restrictions would be eased from 6am Friday after a week of no community transmission.

The update comes after NSW Deputy Premier John Barilaro admitted authorities had “lost control” of its latest wave of Covid cases.

Mr Bariliaro warned on Tuesday that Covid-19 restrictions may ramped up in some local governments areas.

Meanwhile, Victoria has recorded one new locally acquired Covid-19 case after two cases were revealed on Monday afternoon.

Tuesday’s recorded new cases come after 12 straight days of zero local infections in Victoria.