Cairns in three-day lockdown after case infectious in community, new local case detected on Gold Coast

Patrons eager for a long-overdue drink lined up outside venues at the Howard Smith Wharves as the lockdown lifted for South East Queensland. But Cairns has only just entered its own lockdown, with 60 exposure sites linked to a Covid taxi driver.

South East Queensland’s lockdown has been lifted after seven new cases linked to the Delta cluster, but Cairns has been plunged into a three-day lockdown after a case was infectious in the community for 10 days.

The Gold Coast has also recorded a new local case, which is currently under investigation.

The South East Queensland lockdown lifted this afternoon.

Patrons at Brisbane’s popular Howard Smith Wharves precinct arrived for an afternoon out, lining up for the clock to tick over to 4pm.

Felons Brewing Co and Mr Percival’s have seen queues outside the businesses while attendees in masks check in.

Meanwhile in Cairns, authorities are scrambling to reach up to 60 close contacts of a taxi driver who returned a positive Covid swab late last night.

The Brothers Leagues Club has been identified as an exposure site but a full list of places visited by the 60-year-old driver is not yet available.

The taxi driver could potentially have transmitted the virus since July 29.

Patrons have lined up ready to spend the afternoon at Howard Smith Wharves as lockdown restrictions ease. Picture: Shiloh Payne

For the 11 LGAs, up to 10 people will be allowed to meet at a home or outdoors.

Community sport will not be permitted for the next fortnight, but hospital visits will be.

People out walking by themselves will not have to wear masks, but people will have to at all other times, except for when sitting and eating.

Some of the public have questioned if golf is deemed “community sport” under the eased restrictions.

Victoria Park general manager of golf operations Tim Porter said they would be opening the driving range and mini golf at 4pm today.

“We have had some advice come through the industry through Golf Australia and it sounds as if golf has the green light again,” he said.

“We are definitely opening. I suspect all other golf courses will be opening up tomorrow morning because 4pm doesn’t give you much chance to get any booking in on the big golf course.”

Queensland Health has also been contacted to clarify if tennis is deemed community sport.

Schools will reopen but all school staff, including early childhood staff, and all high school students would need to wear masks.

“Unless we can get to those 70 to 80 per cent vaccination rates, masks are essential,” she said.

People will be able to travel in their areas, but have been asked not to travel to regional Queensland from the southeast.

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said that 26,286 tests had been conducted and over one million vaccines have been supplied

“Queensland has done a mighty job,” she said. “But we're not out of the woods yet.”

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk. Picture: Jono Searle

She thanked all those for the hard work that was happening while she was in hotel quarantine for the past two weeks.

“This strain is sweeping the world, so we need to make sure we are taking extra precautions,” Ms Palaszczuk said.

The Premier said authorities had not been expecting the positive Cairns case and the area would now need to go into a three-day lockdown.

The new case had been infectious in the community for 10 days. The city of Cairns and the Indigenous community in Yarrabah will face the same restriction as South East Queensland had, except that two visitors would be allowed in homes.

“We need more testing in Cairns,” Ms Palaszczuk said.

“I am very, very concerned with what’s happening in Cairns.”

From 4pm today Cairns Regional Council local government area and Yarrabah Aboriginal Shire Council will enter lockdown until 4pm on Wednesday August 11. pic.twitter.com/N0MyomLntv

— Annastacia Palaszczuk (@AnnastaciaMP) August 8, 2021

A business support package will be now considered.

When it came to attacking the virus situation in Queensland, the Premier’s personal choice was to “go hard and fast” and she wanted to “thank everyone for playing their part”.

She reached out to NSW and shared her well wishes.

“Our thoughts are with them at the moment as well, as I know that they battle to get on top of the virus.”

chief health officer Dr Jeannette Young said South East Queensland’s good result was surprising but very welcome.

She called on people to continue to get tested early to ensure future cases could be picked up immediately and quashed.

chief health officer Dr Jeannette Young. Picture: Dan Peled

Dr Young said the Gold Coast case had tested positive once, and then negative twice so investigations were continuing while the family was in lockdown.

She said it was important Gold Coast residents got tested today if sick.

Dr Young said the virus may already been transmitting through the Cairns community because of how long the man had been infectious in the community.

She said that the risk in Cairns was “reasonably high” given that the gentleman was infected for 10 days and that a number of people in his household are unwell.

She said while people on Cairns could have two visitors during their lockdown, she would prefer if they didn’t.

Dr Young said that she hoped to get the genome sequencing for the Cairns case later in the day.

Dr Young said she was a “little surprised” to still see students test positive, who had been testing negative at the beginning of their quarantine.

“It is absolutely critical that these people complete their quarantine.”

“This is really tough [for those households] who have to start quarantine every time a new case tests positive.”

Dr Young said that she was comfortable for students to play sport within their classes, but community sport will be banned for the next two weeks.

Deputy Premier Steven Miles said that “we have achieved something quite incredible together”.

“We may have been able to contain a Delta outbreak in just eight days of lockdown, ten days from when the first case was detected.”

Mr Miles said that social distancing, masks, and QR codes will help to prevent a further lockdown.

He said that masks in the high schools will also help.

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk leaves hotel quarantine on Sunday morning. Picture: Peter Wallis

Health Minister Yvette D’Ath said people who were delaying their tests until they had been sick for several days were putting the community at risk.

She said people should visit testing sites as soon as they noticed symptoms.

She urged Cairns citizens to check exposure sites to check whether they would need to be tested and go into home quarantine.

Ms D’Ath also urged Queenslanders to register for a vaccine if they had not done so already.

“By registering, it means that we know you are in the system and can invite you to come in when it becomes available.”

She reminded Queenslanders that they can go to GPs for their Phzifer if they are 40+ of age.

She praised the “amazing” 11,000 people in lockdown who will remain in home quarantine past 4pm today.

“You are absolute legends for doing that, but you are keeping us safe”.

Deputy Commissioner Steve Gollschewski said that the police issued 119 infringement notices on Saturday and two arrests, including the woman who escaped hotel quarantine.

Today’s announcement comes after Ms Palaszczuk left The Westin Hotel in Brisbane’s CBD about 7.30am Sunday after two weeks in quarantine.

Ms Palaszczuk entered quarantine after returning from Tokyo where she helped secure Brisbane the 2032 Olympic Games.