Seven days to save Schoolies as two new cases recorded

The Premier has confirmed Schoolies may be cancelled if more Covid cases appear on the Gold Coast over the next week, as two new local cases are recorded in Queensland.

Queensland has recorded two community cases located in home quarantine and two new cases in hotel quarantine.

Speaking at a press conference in Ipswich this morning, Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said she was still concerned about the Gold Coast and finding the link for the two unlinked cases earlier this week.

Acting chief health officer Dr Peter Aitken said that the two new community cases are in a girl aged under 10 and a girl in her teens. Both are linked through the Goondiwindi and Moree clusters.

Dr Aitken said work was happening “rapidly” to find the link between the two cases on the Gold Coast.

“At this stage we’re not doing anything more in regards to restrictions on the Gold Coast. But we are worried because Schoolies is coming up,” he said.

Schoolies party hard on the Gold Coast in 2018. The annual event is in doubt following new community Covid cases on the Gold Coast. Picture: Marc Robertson

Dr Aitken said he couldn’t yet definitively answer if Schoolies would go ahead on the Gold Coast.

“If we can get through the next week, I’m quite confident Schoolies would be just fine.”

The Premier said she hoped the event would still get to run.

“We don’t want to cancel Schoolies... But it’s going to depend on what happens over the next seven days,” she said.

The Premier told people on the Gold Coast to be careful and think about wearing masks where they can’t socially distance.

“No, they’re not out of the woods yet, but we have to monitor this very carefully,” she said.

“We know that community transmission can happen, but what’s good news is that we have large numbers of people that are vaccinated on the Gold Coast but we want to see more.”

She said a “whole range of circumstances” could trigger a lockdown on the Gold Coast, but said she didn’t want to “entertain” the idea just yet and urged people to get vaccinated and tested.

There were 17509 vaccines administered over 24 hours which the Premier said is the best in about two weeks.

The state is now sitting at 80.55 per cent with one dose and 68.84 per cent fully vaccinated.

“We should be getting that 70 per cent double dosed milestone either on Sunday or Monday.”

Deputy Police Commissioner Steve Gollschewski urged travellers to be patient as they waited for the 70 per cent mark to be reached.

“If people could just wait for that advice because if they go too early, they won’t have the right border pass to get back in.”

Hotel quarantine will still be operating for the foreseeable future for those who can’t home quarantine when they return, he said.

The state government will hold another “super school” vaccination blitz this weekend to help push vaccinations in young families and school aged kids.

Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Dan Peled

The Premier said that the government was still working through the new Doherty modelling proposals, including rapid antigen testing in some circumstances.

“It depends on when the approvals come through for rapid antigen testing. It depends on the costs of rapid antigen testing,” she said.

“The modelling does make sense in relation to that.”

The Premier was asked about where the government was at with vaccinating children.

“My understanding is under-12s have very minor impacts when it comes to Covid, but the issue is that they can spread the virus,” she said.

“The more 12 and above (year olds) that are vaccinated, that will minimise the impact because the virus won’t be able to spread.”

Today’s Covid update comes as new details start to emerge about exactly what businesses will be required to do if a Covid-19 case visits a venue once vaccination thresholds are met.

Deep cleans could still be ordered and vaccinated close contacts may also need to isolate, but measures will be determined on a case-by-case basis.

Queensland businesses are hoping Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk will provide more clarity on requirements moving forward.

Two new locally acquired cases were recorded in Queensland on Thursday, including a “concerning” unlinked case on the Gold Coast.

The fully vaccinated man in his 50s worked as an Uber driver and was potentially infectious in the community for three days.

The second case was a teenage girl from Beaudesert who is a close contact of a confirmed case from the Moree cluster.