Dr Jeannette Young fears Sydney superbug may already be lurking in Queensland

Anyone in Queensland who has been in Greater Sydney, Blue Mountains, Central Coast and Wollongong areas since June 21 must immediately isolate amid fears of a mass infection from the NSW Delta variant.

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk has ordered anyone who has been in the Greater Sydney, Blue Mountains, Central Coast and Wollongong areas since June 21 to isolate wherever they are to halt the spread of the highly-contagious Delta Covid-19 variant.

“As NSW authorities have pointed out, this variant spreads with very little contact,” she said.

“Anyone who has been in these high-risk areas must isolate.

“I must also warn Queenslanders that now is not the time to go to New South Wales. I cannot stress that enough.”

Her call follows NSW’s introduction of further lockdown restrictions on Saturday afternoon, with premier Gladys Berejiklian announcing a 14-day lockdown for all of Greater Sydney, the Blue Mountains, the Central Coast and Wollongong in an effort to contain the escalating crisis.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison has also extended his support to the people facing lockdown but said it was a “necessary” decision.

Queensland chief health officer Jeannette Young said the Delta variant was difficult to control.

“It takes just five seconds for the virus to transfer and what we are seeing in Sydney is that 100 per cent of household contacts exposed without vaccination are infected,” she said.

“People in Queensland who have been in the relevant parts of NSW since June 21 should isolate for two weeks since they left.

“This includes spectators who were planning to attend the State of Origin.”

Dr Young also said she was fearful of a potentially imminent outbreak of the highly-infectious Covid-19 Delta variant following NSW’s concerns of a widespread infection.

Dr Young said authorities don’t know how many people from Sydney hotspots have crossed into Queensland.

Queensland Chief Health Officer Jeannette Young speaks during a press conference at Parliament House to provide a Covid update. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Dan Peled

It comes after NSW recorded 12 new cases overnight, taking the Bondi cluster to 82 cases.

Queensland has recorded one new case overnight – acquired overseas and detected in hotel quarantine – while there has been no community transmission.

But Dr Young said the delay in introducing the border declaration pass meant people could be in Queensland from a Sydney hotspot.

“I really don’t know where we might see a case” she said.

“It’s really important people continue to come forward and get tested.

“Please reconsider your need to travel down into NSW – it’s far better if you can stay in Queensland.”

Dr Young said the NSW outbreak would continue to pose a threat to Queensland – with community infection almost inevitable.

Queensland’s vaccination doses are expected to reach record numbers this week.

All of Greater Sydney, the Blue Mountains, the Central Coast and Wollongong will go into a lockdown from 6pm Saturday with stay-at-home orders in place until midnight Friday July 9.

Ms Berejiklian announced the restrictions at a second daily Covid-19 update after crisis talks with cabinet colleagues and health experts.

“Even though we don’t want to impose burdens unless we absolutely have to, unfortunately, this is a situation where we had to,” she said.

Ms Berejiklian said given how swiftly the virus was spreading, “even the best contact tracers in the world” couldn’t stay ahead of it.

“We’re finding that all household contacts, unfortunately, are getting the virus. Transmissibility is at least double what previous variants had been,” she said.

“So we do need to brace ourselves for potentially larger number of cases in the following days and that’s why it’s so important that we take action now.”

It comes after two new cases in Queensland yesterday, both linked to a flight attendant who tested positive on Sunday.

Alerts have been issued for dozens of new venues visited by Covid-positive cases extending as far as Manly in the northern beaches to Auburn in Sydney’s west as the city’s snap mini-lockdown began at midnight Saturday.